Survival
by dresa
Summary: Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny struggle to survive on a deserted island, battling each other, their own fears, and an evil that could surpass even Voldemort. HermioneRon, HarryGinny, RemusTonks
1. Diagon Alley

***A/N: Whohoo, I'm trying something with a plot! Aren't I getting big for my britches! The first time I saw Blue Lagoon, the seed was planted for this story. It is a homage to the inherent sexiness of a good deserted island tale. Pirates of the Caribbean helped a bit, too.  Who would you like to be stranded with? 

(Can't pick Ron!)*****

_This story begins in the summer after 5th year._

Ron struggled to open his eyes as the bright morning light invaded his room. Groaning a bit, he rolled over, pulling his pillow over his head in a futile attempt to retain his sleeping state.

When his body stubbornly refused to return to slumber, he threw his pillow down and reluctantly sat up in bed.

Looking across his room, Ron considered. It certainly wasn't fair for him to be up when his best mate slept on blissfully. With the precision of a beater, Ron chucked his pillow directly at Harry's head. The muffled "Ow!" in reply helped sooth the sting of waking up.

Ron straightened as he realized just what this day was. D-day. Diagon Alley. Which meant _she would be there. Ron glanced over at his clock and gulped. In two hours, no less._

Jumping out of bed, Ron made a beeline for his closet, tossing out clothes in a desperate attempt to find something suitable.

Harry looked on with a knowing smirk, which turned into a long yawn, and then a snicker.

Ron fixed Harry with a glare. "Not one word," he muttered. Harry raised his palms up in mock surrender. "Didn't say a thing."

Groaning in frustration, Ron yanked open his door and yelled, "Ginny!"

Harry immediately jumped up and rummaged around for a shirt to put on. 

"Why so modest, Harry? Scared my ickle sister will jump you where you stand?"

Harry just glared in response and kept looking. 

Ginny appeared in the doorway, hair wild and tousled with an annoyed look on her face that was quickly wiped away at the sight of a shirtless Harry.

With a small gulp, she turned towards her brother. "What?" she demanded crossly.

Ron motioned to the clothes strewn about the floor. "Help," he begged, giving her a forlorn expression.

She snorted. "Ah yes, today's the day, hmmm?"

Ron crossed his arms. "Just shut it and help me out, would you?"

Ginny stepped around him and peered into his closet, then came out with a pair of khaki pants and a navy blue shirt.

"Here," she shoved the clothes at him. "The shirt matches your eyes and," she sniffed, "speaking objectively as a woman, tends to show off those Keeper muscles."

Ron smirked. "What is it with girls and eyes and muscles?"

Ginny smiled. "Why don't you ask Hermione? I'm sure she'd ask the same about guys and hair and cleavage." She waggled her eyebrows and flounced off, but not before quietly saying, "Morning, Harry."

Harry blushed. "Morning, Gin."

Ron sighed, and hopped into the shower before he had to vomit. 

They were getting a bit ridiculous. Ever since Harry had found out that Ginny had dumped Dean, he'd been blushing like mad around her, stuttering and acting like a general idiot. They hadn't discussed it, apart from some good natured teasing, but Ron was pretty sure he and Ginny were close to getting somewhere. He'd been a little hacked off at the thought, before he'd really considered it. Ginny was great, if anyone could bring Harry out of his funk, it was her. She was certainly better than ruddy Cho Chang, and Harry was a good step up from Dean, that was certain. Ron just wasn't sure he wanted to have to share either of them. 

Unless of course…._he had someone of his own._

No, that was stupid. And ridiculously unlikely. 

_So that's why you're taking twenty minutes to brush your hair?_

_Shut up, stupid voice in my head._

Ron straightened his shirt, and smoothed his hair back once more. Giving himself a once over, he was somewhat pleased. As pleased as bloke with bright red hair and an overlarge nose could be, he supposed.

Who was he kidding? There was no way in hell he stood a chance with Hermione.

Yeah, so she'd kissed him on the cheek. She'd said she was proud of him, and she started to blush when he stared at her too long. In the hospital wing, after he'd been so sure he'd lost her, nothing else had mattered but making sure she was safe. And later, when she'd cried over Sirius and Harry, he'd held her. He'd held her until all she could do was shudder, with no more tears left to shed.

It had felt good, Ron was ashamed to admit. Harry was heartbroken and Sirius was dead, and Ron was happy because he got to hold Hermione. Sometimes he really hated himself.

But before he could reach down and grab hold of anymore self loathing, Hermione had murmured, "I feel so horrible, because so much is wrong and all I can think of is how safe I feel right now, and how I wish we could just stay here forever and forget the rest of the world. Is that cowardly, Ron?"

He had pulled her more tightly to him, overjoyed she'd said it first. "No, I think it makes perfect sense. I was just thinking the same."

"Do you…do you think we're really strong enough for this?" Her voice trembled as she asked.

Ron took a moment, not wanted to just give her empty platitudes. 

"I think….we may need moments like this where we can break down and mourn, and curse life and fate and all these obstacles we should never have to go through, but…when Harry needs it, I think we'll be strong for him, and for us."

Hermione smiled at him and snuggled into his shoulder. She had fallen asleep like that, and Ron held her for a long while before slowly easing her back down on her bed and returning to his own.

Ron was startled by Harry's loud knock and exclamation that other people did need to use the bathroom too.

Ron gave him a good natured shove on the way out, before bounding downstairs to see what was for breakfast.

"Good morning dear," Molly Weasley patted his cheek and directed him to sit.

"Morning, Mum," Ron replied, reaching for the pile of bacon. For once, he'd beat the rest of his family to the table, and he planned on taking full advantage.

"I wanted to discuss something with you, Ronald." Molly put down her dishrag, and sat down next to her son.

"What's up, Mum? I promise I'll get to that de-gnoming."

"That's not it, love. It's just, well, I want you to know that I understand you're growing up. This year is going to be hard for you, with all this fear and anxiety. I want you to take care of your sister, but I also want you to keep your eye on Harry as well as Hermione. It's best all around to be cautious."

Ron nodded vigorously. "I won't let anything happen to them, Mum.  I'll make sure Harry doesn't do anything stupid."

Molly smiled and him. "But, despite all that, I want to make sure you look after yourself as well. I hope you know how proud your father and I are of you."

He ducked his head, embarrassed and pleased and embarrassed for being pleased.

"I'm quite sure you remember that talk with your father, but let me re-emphasize that I expect you to remain a complete gentleman, whatever may occur this year. Is that understood?"

Ron's head whipped up. The conversation had taken on a decidedly confusing turn.

"What do you mean, Mum? What tal-" Ron stopped abruptly, realizing what his Mum was speaking of. 

"Oh." He immediately turned a bright, vivid red.

Molly patted his head. "I know about these things, Ron. This year, I believe a lot will be changing for you. Do your best to keep up, but don't go speeding ahead, either."

He nodded obediently, quite honestly too scared to open his mouth.

"Although, knowing Hermione, I'm sure she'll keep you at exactly the right velocity." 

And with that utterly horrifying statement, Molly went back to whipping up the rest of breakfast, leaving her son to gape in astonished silence.

*********************************

By the end of breakfast, Ron had butterflies in his stomach.

When his parents, Ginny, Harry and he gathered round the fireplace, he thought he might pass out.

And when the first thing he saw after stepping out of the Leaky Cauldron fireplace was Hermione, he was quite sure his heart skipped a beat.

He stared at her. She stared right back. The fact that her parents were right next to her didn't enter his mind. The fact that his parents were right behind him wasn't even a factor. 

In three long strides, he had gathered her up into a hug, firm but not too much, because he was still worried about her injury.

"Hey." He knew his smile was huge. 

She bit her lip, which he thought was absolutely adorable, and murmured back, "Hello." 

Then she did something he would never have associated with her dependable, grounded self. She giggled softly, then reached up to smooth down his collar.

"Nice shirt." She met his eyes, and Ron was pretty sure it was the best moment of his life. _God Bless you, Ginny!_

They were both startled out of their gaze by the greetings exchanged by their parents. He grinned at her a little bit more before they went over to Harry and Ginny, who were off to the side, watching the show with amusement. 

Hermione gave Harry her usual enthusiastic hug, then stepped back to get a good look at him.

"Have you been sleeping?" she inquired, voice sharp.

Harry sighed, but he couldn't help but smile. "Yes, Mum. Eating too. And I've been out to get some sun and exercise. Anything else?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

Ron looked pointedly at the ceiling. "Not touching that one."

  
They were soon joined by Moody, Remus Lupin and Tonks, who were to be their escorts.  

All four teenagers had protested that they would be perfectly fine in Diagon Alley, but Dumbledore was taking no chances.

While their parents went to chat amongst themselves, the foursome went about their shopping, with their guard trailing several paces behind.

Ron was getting a bit frustrated, because he really wanted to talk to Hermione alone.

Ron checked to make sure Harry and Ginny were a good distance away, then approached Professor Lupin.

Pulling Remus aside in Flourish and Blotts, he asked, "Look, can I just have two minutes without you quite so close?"

Remus shook his head. "You know the rules, Ron." 

"It's not like I'm Harry, Professor. I just need to- before we get back to my house and craziness, I have to sort some stuff out with Hermione. Really really really important stuff. Please? We'll be right over there by that bookcase, where you can see us. I just have to talk to her in private."

Remus looked over at the spot Ron was pointing to, where Hermione was browsing through a book. 

"And this is really important?"

"Probably the most important thing I'm ever going to say to her."

Remus smiled. "Ah. That thing, hmm?"

Ron was too eager to be embarrassed. "Yes, that thing. The thing I need five minutes in privacy for."

"Well, alright. Five minutes. And I _will_ be looking over at you the whole time."

Ron gave a whoop. "Thanks!"

He bounded off in Hermione's direction.

Remus shook his head and wished him luck.

Tonks sidled up next to him, taking his arm in hers. Looking over at them, she inquired, "So he's finally going to do it?"

Remus took her hand in his. "Seems like it."

"What is it about men waiting for women to be in mortal peril before declaring their love?"

Remus smiled down at her tenderly. "I don't know, but I think it's contagious."

Ron approached Hermione uncertainly. When they'd been reunited earlier in the day, he'd been absolutely sure she felt more than friendship for him. But now, the nerves were coming back and Ron could only pray he wouldn't stuff it up too badly.

He tapped her softly on the shoulder, not wanting to startle her. "Hi," he whispered.

She smiled up and put down the book. "Hey."

For a moment, they both stood there, not knowing exactly where to go from that point.

Finally, Ron squared his shoulders and rushed out, "Hermione? Do you- because I really, really- and I wasn't sure if- I mean, I hoped, but I didn't _know_, and I-" 

Hermione stilled his ramble by placing a finger upon his lips. He gaped down at her as she murmured, "It's okay, I know. You don't have to say it."

Ron blinked. "I don't? But don't you want me to..?"

Hermione gave him a coy little smile. Which was interesting, because Hermione wasn't very often flirty and coy. 

_Lessons from Ginny, he mused._

"Oh, no, I definitely want you to. A girl does need to hear it eventually. But I can wait until you're a bit more articulate about it."

Ron sighed heavily. He couldn't be a coward about this. "I like you, Hermione. I like your smile and your laugh and your hair and the way you nag and the way you smell and I want to hold your hand and hug you and I just-" Ron ran out of breath. "I just want _you, you know?"_

Hermione nodded, and Ron was horrified to see her sniffle. Grasping his hands, she leaned up towards him, and he licked his lips in anticipation. Halfway to his mouth, Hermione saw something out of the corner of her eye and gasped. 

"Ron," she breathed, all thoughts of kissing out of her mind, at least for the moment. "Look!"

She was pointing to a book on the shelf. _Ancient Protection Spells of Power_.

"I've been looking for this book for over a year. Everyone told me it was out of print and unable to be located! I don't believe it!" She turned her shining eyes toward Ron. "Don't you see? This book has loads of spells that could save Harry's life!"

Ron grinned at her enthusiasm, though inwardly groaning at the fact that he'd missed his chance at a kiss.

"Well, then, let's see what it says."

Hermione grabbed the book, and froze. 

"What's wrong?" Ron demanded, seeing the look on her face.

She managed to get out, "Port-" and literally vanished from sight. 

Ron screamed her name.

The book clunked on the floor. Without hesitation, Ron reached down, grabbed it, and followed her into the unknown.

*************************

Dum, dum, du-dummmmm. Are you interested yet? Give me some reviews, and I will give you wet, well-muscled Ron in the next chapter. Savvy?


	2. Lost and Found

_Yeah…so apparently, a lot of you have a Johnny Depp / __Orlando__ Bloom type pirate fetish goin'. Well, let me just say, I'm with you 100%! While Ron could never be a rake, (at least, not in my stories) he can certainly as sexy as one! And I promise I will do my best to describe it as vividly as I can. _

***************************

Day 1

***************************

Ron felt as if his body was splintering, pulling apart in a hundred different directions. The unnatural feeling strained every part of him, and he couldn't help the cry of pain that burst out.

It seemed like forever before the throbbing abated. Then oblivion.

***************************

Opening his eyes cautiously, Ron's first thought was the realization that he'd been unconscious for some time. 

His body ached and his head felt as if it had been used for a bludger.

Blinking repeatedly to bring his eyes into focus, Ron gasped in amazement as he took in his surroundings. 

He had been lying on sand. Soft, warm sand that clung to his hair and skin, sticky from his sweat.

Ron realized he was burning up from the sheer force of the sun, shining brightly with no clouds to block its rays.

Somehow, he'd managed to get sand all inside his shirt, and it rubbed painfully against his skin. 

Unable to bear the discomfort, he quickly took it off and shook it out, then did the same to his hair and torso.

_Much better_, he thought.

Ron sat in silence, trying to take in all that had happened.  He remembered Hermione touching a book, and disappearing. He'd followed her immediately, screaming her name.

Ron stood up quickly, then instantly regretted it, barely able to remain standing as a wave of dizziness took him over.

Ron took several, gulping breaths to steady himself, then took one step forward, then another.

Half an hour later, he realized he had absolutely no idea which direction she was in, or if she even had reached the same destination he had. Portkeys _could_ have random or alternating destinations, though there wasn't much point to it. Most people preferred not to be surprised at where they ended up.

To his right, was sparkling water of a clear, crystal blue. It went out as far as Ron could see, with tiny plots of land masses far off in the distance. _More islands_, he presumed.

To his left, inland, were sparse trees that soon turned into a jungle-like forest, in what to Ron, seemed to be the middle of the island.

Ron looked in every direction for any sign of Hermione, turning himself in a complete circle in the process. 

Frustrated, and more than a little scared, Ron resorted to what most men did in times of crisis. He yelled.

"HEEEEEERRRRRRRMMMMMIONNNNEEEEEE!"

Ron's voice echoed into the wind. He yelled for her until his throat hurt.

Suddenly, an awful thought occurred to him. What if….what if she hadn't landed on the sand, as he had? For all he knew, she could be drowning in the ocean at that very moment.

Without hesitation, Ron bounded into the softly rolling water, cutting through it like a madman. He continued on when the bottom dropped from under him, when the safety of the ground was lost. He went so far that he was beginning to lose the struggle against the power of the waves, and was about to turn back from the fruitless journey when his side hit…something..with a  loud thump.

Treading water frantically, Ron managed to stick a hand out, feeling the air in front of him. He was horribly fascinated to discover an invisible wall, as solid and immovable as steel, blocking any further forays into the ocean.

Some part of Ron became aware, at that moment, that this unscheduled vacation was no accident.

With his remaining strength, he made his way back to the shore, shaking his head viciously to get rid of the water droplets that were running down his face.

Stepping out of the soggy trainers he'd been thick enough to leave on, he tied them together and hung them around his neck, before setting off to find his girl.

He forgot his shirt.

****************************

Hermione groaned softly. She had a splitting headache and something was poking into her back. She reached underneath her back A stone? No, a sea shell.

Something was wrong with her hair. It was heavy and …..wet?

Blinking slowly, Hermione opened her eyes to a harshly bright sun.

She sat up dazedly, realizing that she'd been lying on wet sand, and her hair had been weighed down by the incoming tide.

Where in the world-? In a rush, her memory returned. A portkey, disguised as a book to help Harry.

Glancing around, she realized she was on some sort of island. The salty smell told her the water was oceanic, not a large lake of some kind.

The birds flying by gave a clue as to the size of the island. It had to be somewhat large if it housed animals in the middle of the ocean. Glancing behind her at the dense trees, she quickly surmised that at least she would have a plentiful amount of wood to build a shelter, if she had to stay that long.

Hopefully, though, that wouldn't be an issue. Professor Lupin and Tonks had been close by, as well as Harry and Ginny. She was sure they, along with Ron, would quickly surmise what had happened and find a way to rescue her. If there was anything her friends were good at, it was saving the day. With that cheerful thought in mind, Hermione set her mind to planning exactly how she would survive alone in the meantime.

Food, of course. Shelter, which she'd already considered. She'd have to build some kind of covering in case of rain. Perhaps some sort of SOS sign? She'd use her wand to make a signal fire of some kind, or perhaps even a light beacon.

Her wand! Of course, why hadn't she even considered?

Now, Hermione knew that apparating without a license was strictly forbidden, except under the most extreme of circumstances. Thankfully for her, this definitely qualified.

It was a good thing she'd been studying up on it since fourth year. She had heard that Muggle-born students had a more difficult time of it at first, and she had been deathly afraid that Ron would be able to do it first. If that had happened, she would have never heard the end of it.

_Ron_…

She knew he was probably going out of his mind, right about now. His worry for her was a daily occurrence when she was right next to him, and she could only imagine the hell he and the rest of her friends and family were going through.

Well then, no time like the present.

Hermione pulled out her wand. _A nice strong flick and swish, think of Diagon Alley…and…go!_

Hermione felt her body leave the ground for a moment, before she felt as if she'd bounced against something and reappeared exactly where she'd stood before.

She stared down at her wand incredulously. Anti-apparating wards?

Hermione considered for the first time that her being here wasn't merely a coincidence. 

With a sudden feeling of dread, Hermione looked around, half expecting a camp of Death Eaters to appear at any moment. When nothing happened, she relaxed slightly, but couldn't dismiss how uneasy and exposed she felt.

Deciding it was best to get a move on before she lost the light of day, Hermione picked a direction and began to walk.

**********************

_An hour later_

The sun was beginning to bear down, and her t-shirt stuck to her back wetly. Hermione wished she could pull it off, after all it was a deserted island, but her deep-rooted propriety just wouldn't allow her to.

It was a good thing, (well, depending on your point of view) because approximately ten minutes later, she came across something that brought her more joy than her O.W.L results had.

Ronald Weasley's wet, sweaty, tshirt.

Oh, she hadn't dared to hope that he would follow her. It had been in the back of her mind, but Hermione had purposely ignored the thought. Why believe it, only to be devastated later? Hermione grinned. She should have known. He was, after all, her knight in shining armor. Whether he admitted it or not.

Looking closely, Hermione could see his footprints in the sand.

Gathering his shirt in her fist, she began to run, which wasn't the easiest thing to do in sand with the hot sun beating down on you.

She ran until she thought her lungs would explode, then continued on anyway.

Every time she thought of stopping, she brought Ron's shirt to her face, inhaling his scent along with the air she gasped for, and was propelled on. 

Then, in the distance, she saw his long, lanky, and shirtless form.

Falling to her knees from the exertion, her voice could only whisper his name.

He hesitated anyway.

Had he heard? No, just his imagination. Wait, there it was again. His name, from what _sounded like Hermione's voice. _

Barely daring to hope, Ron turned around. 

And saw her.

He never consciously began running, but suddenly, he was next to her, kneeling down in the sand.

She was breathing heavily, still gasping for air.

Ron, unable to keep from touching her, ran his hands through her hair, caressed her cheeks. He rubbed her shoulders and back comfortingly, waiting for her to get her breath back.

Once she had, he took it away, covering her mouth with their first true kiss.

He thought she tasted like salt and sunshine.

She felt her heart expand with the sheer joy of his arms around her, his bare skin warm and firm. She wasn't alone here. No matter what else happened, it would be okay in the end. He was with her. She had everything. 

When they both needed more air, they parted lips to breath. After a moment, when he could speak again, he pulled her against his chest and nuzzled her neck. 

"Fancy meeting you here," he murmured, then kissed her right under her ear.

Then he held her while she cried. 

*****************************

A/N: How was that?


	3. Realizations

****Sorry, this one's a bit short, but it's the best stopping for the setup of the next chapter. Enjoy! 

Please continue to review, every single one makes me write that much faster. 

Thanks also for the incredibly positive response, you make me feel very loved and appreciated!*******

******************

Hermione wiped her eyes, and managed a bright, if slightly trembling, smile for Ron.

"Thank you," she murmured, and he simply shrugged his shoulders in that bashful way of his, and kept his arm wrapped around her.

After a time, he glanced over at her, unsure if he would be able to steal another kiss.

  
Deciding to wait for her to give him a signal, he instead asked, "What should we do now?"

"How much of the island have you had a chance to explore?"

"Not much," Ron replied. "I was a bit preoccupied trying to find you."

 Hermione smiled despite herself. It was lovely to think that all of Ron's purpose and intensity had been directed towards her.

"Well, obviously, we should try to figure out where we are, attempt to contact someone. Food, shelter, and general safety are all paramount concerns."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Ron gestured behind him. "I'm sure we can transfigure those trees into something decent."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Ron, I tried to apparate, and there seems to be some sort of ward blocking my way."

Ron simply gaped at her for a moment. "You- what? Hermione, you're only 16!"

"So? The age requirement is merely for safety purposes. There's nothing stopping someone with the proper, learned technique from the physical portion of apparition; it's just the Misuse of Magic owl you'd have to contend with."

Ron could do nothing but shake his head in amazement. "You're bloody brilliant, you know that?"

Hermione flushed. "Language, Ron," she muttered, an uncharacteristic smile playing about her lips as she spoke.

Ron's chuckle turned into a moan as his stomach grumbled loudly. 

"What do you say we put our wands to use and conjure up some lunch?"

Hermione for once, agreed with Ron wholeheartedly. It had been ages since breakfast, and she was still feeling the aftereffects of her portkey-induced headache.

Deciding a bowl of fruit would be just the thing for the moment, Hermione brandished her wand and said, "Fructus!"

A short spark, then nothing.

Dread beginning to form as a tight ball in her stomach, she gulped and motioned for Ron to try.

"Fructus!" Ron's voice rang out clearly. The same result. Spark, then nothing.

"Ron, what if whatever it was that bounced my attempt to apparate wasn't an anti-apparition ward, but an anti-magic ward?"

That startled Ron out of his fear for a moment. How could he have forgotten?

Grabbing her by the shoulders, he rushed out, "Hermione, when I first woke up, I thought maybe you'd ended up in the water somehow. I swam out to see, and about a half mile out, I hit some sort of invisible shield that I couldn't get past. Maybe it's some sort of magical dampener, which would explain why you couldn't apparate and why our wands spark, but don't fully complete a spell!"

Hermione had never imagined that they would have no magic to rely upon.

Though she hadn't had the magical rearing of Ron, she had nonetheless grown accustomed to the ease magic had brought to her life. She found it hard to imagine not having it at all, much less on a deserted island God knows where, with God knows what for inhabitants.

_Breathe_, she thought to herself. _Everything will be fine. Stay calm and think!_

Once she was sure that she was under control, she met Ron's eyes and said, "Looks like we'll just have to do it the Muggle way, then."

Ron's facial expression revealed exactly what he thought of _that idea._

"How's that?" he responded cautiously.

"We'll have to physically gather wood for a fire and shelter, and forage for food and water ourselves."

"Ourselves?" Ron couldn't help the high octave his normally deep voice jumped to.

Hermione grabbed hold of his hand to reassure him, as well as herself.

"Don't worry, I've read lots about survival techniques, not to mention the fair amount of literature devoted to the subject. You never know when general knowledge comes in handy."

"You've read textbooks about people stranded on desert islands?" Ron questioned skeptically. 

"Well, sort of…." Hermione's averted eyes told him that she would probably prefer him to stop the line of questioning he was on.

Which of course, meant that he was bound and determined to continue until she caved.

"What does that mean, sort of?"

When it became clear she wasn't planning on answering his question, Ron squeezed her hand softly and then pulled Hermione closer to him.

"C'mon, love." He was surprised at the ease of which the endearment came to him. "You can tell me."

Hermione buried his face into his chest. "You'll make fun of me," was her muffled response.

"So? That's never stopped you before."

He heard a small snort escape.

"That's true." Sighing, she lifted her head and muttered, "Ginny gave me this book."

"Okay….so?"

Hermione's embarrassed expression finally clued him in. Ginny. Books. A book that Ginny owns.

"Wait, one of _those_ books? The ones she keeps locked in her school chest, under her Potions cauldron in a pathetic attempt to hide them from her all-knowing brothers?"

Hermione glared at him. "How do you know where they are? Did you snoop through Ginny's things?"

"No, I leave that to Fred and George, and stop changing the subject."

"Yes, Ron," Hermione blurted with a huff. "One of _those books, as you so maturely put it."_

"Hey, don't get mad at me because you're embarrassed I found out about your naughty reading habits!"

"Oh, please, like I don't know what you have at home under your Quidditch magazines!"

Silence. Then-

"I'm going to _kill_ Ginny!"

"Why? For doing to you what had already been done to her? Even if you didn't actually do the snooping, you knew about it and didn't tell her!"

"What for, so she could get all huffy and whine?"

"She has a perfectly good reason to-" Hermione had to stop herself. "We're getting way off track. This is not the time to be arguing over trivialities."

Ron nodded grudgingly. "Agreed. But I still want to know what was in this book you read."

Hermione couldn't talk about it and look him in the face at the same time, so she began walking. Ron easily kept pace with his long limbs.

"It was a story about two people on a cruise- that's a Muggle vacation on a boat- who absolutely hate each other on sight, and they become shipwrecked, leaving them as the sole survivors on a remote island. They bicker a lot, but eventually their…passions consume them and they become involved. Though they're eventually rescued, they have to come up with lots of clever ideas to survive in the meantime."

Ron smirked. "And I'm sure you were riveted by their _survival skills?"_

Hermione was relaxed enough to giggle lightly. "Among other things."

Ron took a step closer to her. "You know, that plot sounds a bit ..familiar. I think I recognize some of the characteristics of their… relationship."

Hermione bit her lip, struggling from her effort not to smile. "Oh, do you now?"

Ron placed his hands lightly on Hermione's waist, and pulled her tight against him.

"Definitely. Hating each other on sight, bickering constantly. Oh, yeah, and certainly the 'consuming passion' part.  I wonder who I could be thinking of." Ron's voice dripped with amusement, but there was an underlying huskiness that Hermione was beginning to equate with his ardor for her.

"I'll give you three guesses," she murmured, before lifting her head to receive his mouth.

Ron felt a rush of heat pass through him that had nothing to do with the sun's hot rays.

At his mouth's insistent urging, Hermione opened hers more widely, and Ron accepted the invitation, slanting his mouth over hers gently.  He swallowed her little gasp of 

surprise and took advantage of her open mouth.  His tongue swept inside, slow and lazy, tasting her, savoring the jolts of sensation passing between them.  Her lips were so full and soft.  She shivered and tentatively rolled her tongue around his and he groaned heavily into her mouth and deepened the kiss even further. 

Ron was just about to ease Hermione down onto the warm, soft sand when an amused voice rang out from nearby, "Can't we leave you two alone for even a second?"

Ron's head shot up. "Harry? _Ginny?"_

**********************************


	4. Making Themselves At Home

****Here's Chapter Four, I hope you guys are still with me! *******

With a yelp, Hermione physically shoved Ron from on top of her, and tried to scramble up.

Ron wasn't having it, however, and he held tight to her waist. The result was Hermione sitting pretty much in Ron's lap cross-legged, with Ron's arms wrapped around her.

She was mortified. 

Ron was pissed.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Ron stared up at them incredulously.

Harry scratched his head for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Ginny.

"Ermmm, rescuing you?"

Ron groaned, and his tone came out more sharply than he had intended. "We were doing just fine on our own, Harry."

Ginny snorted. "Oh, yeah, we could tell, Ron. Sorry to interrupt, but we kind of, well, DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU!!!"

Ron gulped, seeing the beginning warning signs indicative of Ginny's infamous temper.

"Just kidding!" Ron hastily assured. "It's, uh, great to see you guys."

Hermione nodded mutely in agreement, then elbowed Ron sharply in his midsection while his attention was diverted. At his indignant yelp, she shook loose from his grip and stood up.

Rolling his eyes, Ron lumbered to his feet as well, but, unlike Hermione, was quite lazy about it.

The four of them eyed each other warily, none sure of where to start.

Ginny ended the silence with a simple statement. "We thought you'd been kidnapped."

Ron eyes widened considerably. "How di-" His voice was cut off by the force of Ginny's body as it barreled into him and held fast. Feeling her shoulders shake and a small amount of wetness on his chest, Ron sighed and held her tight.

"Stop it, now. You'll get me started, and we can't have that. I'm too much a man to cry."

Ginny snorted, wiped her eyes on his front, and ruffled his hair affectionately.

After looking on at the two of them, Harry turned towards Hermione, his arms open in invitation. Giggling softly, she moved into his embrace and they shared a hug.

"All right?" Harry murmured in her ear.

Hermione drew back and grinned at him broadly. 

"More than.  Much more."

"Oy, Potter. Get your own girl!"

Harry and Hermione disentangled themselves from each other, and Harry smirked over at Ron. 

"So that's how it is, then?"

Ron and Hermione shared a glance, and a blush, before Ron squared his shoulders and met Harry's gaze. 

"Yeah, that's how it is."

"About bloody time," muttered Ginny with a grin. Suddenly, she let out a whoop, and began jumping up and down like a loon.

The rest watched in disbelief before the reason for her actions was made clear.

"I WON THE POOL! TWENTY GALLEONS, MINE!!!!"

"Twenty galleons? You were betting on us?" Hermione's hands were suddenly on her hips, a dark expression on her face as she glared at Harry and Ginny in turn.

Harry was suddenly struck by how very much she resembled Mrs. Weasley in that moment.

Ginny grinned at Hermione, still dancing around, before darting in for a hug. 

"C'mon now, Hermione. Gryffindor bets on how many points we'll get taken off in a day. Surely you should have known we'd bet on our favorite form of entertainment!"

Hermione only sighed. She really should have expected it.

Ron and Harry clapped each other on the back in a very manly way, that three back pat  maneuver all males mastered minutes after birth.

Ron sighed. "I don't know, Gin. Twenty galleons won't do you much good out here, wherever here is."

By mutual, unspoken agreement, the four of them sank back down onto the sand.

"However did you find us?" Hermione asked, brows knit in confusion.

"Well," Ginny began, "I was across the room when I heard Ron scream your name. The whole of the shop heard, for that matter. Remus and Tonks had just stepped over to the far wall and were, uhm…_talking."_

Harry interjected, "Ginny and I both ran over at the same time. All we saw was the book, open and laying on the ground. I told Ginny to get help, but-"

"But I knew better than to leave him there, because I was quite certain he'd grab the book and follow you in."

Harry rolled his eyes and nudged Ginny. "So Ginny magicks a parchment explaining what happened, and then grabs my hand and asks me what I'm waiting for."

Ginny snorted. "He tried, rather pathetically, to convince me that it was too dangerous, and I needed to stay to let the Aurors know what had happened, and blah-blah. I knew, however, that Remus was on his way over and that he would never let us go after you. Harry knew it too, so he gave in rather quickly."

Harry shrugged sheepishly. "We both touched the book, and ended up a few miles back that way." Harry pointed behind them. "We started walking and here we are."

"Have you seen anyone, or anything else here?" Hermione cut in.

Harry shook his head in the negative.

Ron filled them in on the barrier he had encountered, as well as their inability to perform magic.  They sat around for a time discussing possible scenarios. 

Harry shook his head in puzzlement.  "It doesn't make any sense. If this was really the work of Voldemort, there'd be Death Eaters surrounding us ten deep by now."

"Maybe-" Ginny's shudder cut her own words off. "Maybe they're just waiting for a certain time to strike."

There was a tense and lengthy silence at that statement.

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Ron's rough voice broke the moment.

Hermione grinned over at him. "I'll tell you what we'll do. You and Harry will go grab as much dry wood as you can find for a fire and a shelter, and Ginny and I will forage for food."

"Why can't Harry and I find the food?" Ron muttered back. His stomach suddenly grumbled to illustrate his words.

Hermione giggled in response. "Because you wouldn't be able to stop yourself from eating half the food you find before you got back."

Ron groaned good-naturedly, pulled her to him, and gave her a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek.

"Ah, love, you know me so well!"

"Ugh," Harry's face screwed up in mock horror as he took great pains to look away.

"Shut it, Potter."

Harry sent Ron a snappy salute. "Aye, sir! Shutting it, sir!"

They journeyed inward, towards the sparse tree line that grew denser as they went along, finally settling on a nice, slightly elevated spot with a smooth, flat ground that was shaded by large leafed trees all around. Hermione remarked that not only would it help them avoid the sun, but also provide a second level of protection from any precipitation that might fall.

All in agreement, they broke up by gender and entered the forest, but not before Ron's stern warning to the girls not to venture further than a loud shout. 

"Whatever you say, Mum!" was Ginny's tart reply.

The twig Ron threw at her head barely missed her. 

Ginny managed not to badger Hermione about the scene she had just saw for about five whole minutes.

They had just climbed over a fallen tree log when she blurted out, "Scale of one to ten?"

Hermione shook her head. She'd been waiting for a comment like that. "How can I answer that, Gin? They were first kisses, which you very well know."

Gin snorted. "What Harry and I walked into was most definitely not what usually encompasses a first kiss. Michael stammered something idiotic about it being a nice night and basically tried to suck my lips into his mouth. Points for effort, but certainly not technique."

Hermione wisely choose to concentrate on the first part of Ginny's statement. 

"So it's 'Harry and I' now?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You know it's not like that at all."

Hermione gave a yelp as she spotted several cracked coconuts on the ground. Looking up, she was incredibly relieved to see dozens of sizable brown globes attached to the tree leaves.

She gave an experimental push against the base, and when the coconuts refused to fall, Hermione bit her lip in contemplation and judged the height to the food.

"We'll need the boys, I think. Ron should be able to reach it with a boost. In the meantime, let's keep looking for something a little lower to the ground."

Ginny nodded in agreement and they set off again. 

"By the way Gin, how exactly did you come to the conclusion that it's not like that?"

Ginny made a face and spontaneously plucked a pretty little flower from the ground, tucking it behind her ear.

"If he wanted to do anything, he'd have done it by now."

Hermione snorted. "This is Harry Potter, the Boy who Doesn't Understand Girls. Michael or Dean might have made a move by now, but Harry? Gin, I've been his friend for almost six years now, and if there is anything that boy doesn't get, it's the female perspective."

Ginny smiled. "I suppose that's true." She passed a second flower to Hermione as they trudged along. Hermione absentmindedly stuck in her hair, then continued listening to Ginny.

"It's just- well, okay, so maybe I realize that he's never blushed so much around me before, or that today he held the door to the bookshop open for me, which he has never, ever done, by the way, and that he's sat next to me at meals, which had to be on purpose, but that could all be just coincidence. Maybe he just wants to get to know me, treat me like Ron does."

"If that were true," Hermione mused, "Then it would stand to reason that Harry would act the same way towards you that he acts towards me, since I really am the closest thing he's got to a sister. And let me tell you, he's certainly never blushed around me, or held doors open for me, or endearingly stuttered my name whenever we ran into each other by the loo in the morning."

Ginny started. "You saw that?" Her tone was more than mortified. 

Now Hermione didn't bother to disguise her amusement. "Yes, although I'm sure that his discomfort had nothing at all to do with the little towel you were wearing."

With a whirl, Ginny nudged Hermione hard in her side. "All this time I thought Fred and George had nicked my dressing gown! It was you, wasn't it?"

Hermione let out a deep, belly laugh. "I couldn't help it, I was dared to."

Ginny's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am going to KILL Ronald Weasley."

Hermione tilted her head to the side consideringly. "At least wait until I've had my fill of him, please."

It took even her superior brain a moment to understand why Ginny had practically doubled over in laughter.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and flicked Ginny on her back. "Honestly, you Weasley's and your dirty minds."

Ginny wiped the small bits of wetness at the corners of her eyes and raised her head. Tossing Hermione a sly look, she remarked. "I suggest you get used to it, it's definitely something you'll have to deal with, if you haven't already."

Hermione wisely choose to ignore that half question, half statement, and resumed her search for food.

**********************************

Approximately a half hour later, the girls trudged back to the trees where they had set up camp, berries and edible plants pooled together in their shirt fronts. Hermione and Ginny were both ready, willing and fully prepared to make the boys admit that their scavenging abilities were more than adequate.

What they were completely unprepared for, however, was the site of Ronald Arthur Weasley and Harry James Potter, flailing about in the sand and bellowing like wounded bears. Completely starkers.

**********************************

Hahaha.

Review, my friends. Next chapter within the week.

Anyone want to guess what happens next? Disclaimer- It's PG13, so there will be no shagging or orgies of any kind. (Ron and Ginny are _siblings_, you sick people!)


	5. Work, Work, and a little more Work

Here you go, enjoy! Please, please review, it means so much to me. Thanks!

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Hermione and Ginny gaped for a moment in sheer stupefaction, before Hermione overcame her paralysis and moved towards them, making very sure to keep her eyes on Ron's face….after one glance downward, of course.

Upon closer inspection, she realized the source of their panic.

Ron was just about to rip off one of the wretched things attached to his body, when Hermione shouted, "No, Ron, those are leeches! Don't rip them off, it will just make the lesions worse!"

The leeches were a dark, brownish black, already rounder and thicker from the blood they'd sucked from the two boys. 

Hermione shuddered visibly as she watched them writhe and wriggle against Ron's white skin, attempting to burrow closer into his flesh.

"What's your bloody suggestion, then?" he screamed back.

"Get in the water, both of you! They can only exist in fresh water. The salt in the ocean will kill them!"

Ron and Harry both bounded towards the surf, diving in without hesitation. After several minutes, and a thorough inspection, the boys reported to Hermione that all the leeches had fallen off. 

"Well, then, let's see how badly they got you."

Ron sputtered. "We're a bit naked here."

Hermione rolled her eyes as Ginny bit her lip to restrain the laugh that threatened to bubble up.

"Really Ron, we've already seen the show once, it's not like we missed something and need to check again."

"I sure don't! I saw it all the first time." Ginny piped up, grinning mischievously at Harry.

Harry sank back down in the water, utterly embarrassed. They hadn't even kissed yet.

Ron's jawbone clenched visibly. "Please. Get. Our. Clothes."

Ginny threw up her hands. "Fine, you prude!"

She walked over to the forest edge, and gathered up their haphazardly strewn garments. 

Holding them by a finger in case any other suck bugs had taken up residence inside, Ginny gingerly placed them on the sand, about ten feet from the boys' position. 

"There you are!" Ginny motioned with a flourish.

"Can you please bring them a little closer?" Harry's voice carried a hint of desperation.

"Bring them closer, you say?" Ginny looked down at the pile of clothes, then up at the boys. 

Shaking her head in mock regret, she tapped a finger against her chin and mused, "No, no, I don't think I can do that. Sorry."

No one believed the last word of her statement in the least.

"Fine!" Ron burst out. "S'not like I have anything to be ashamed of. "

"Certainly not," Hermione murmured, and Ron caught the tease in her tone and stared straight into her eyes as he took purposeful, even strides back to the shore. 

Without hurry, he carefully picked up his pants, checked them for any other crawly things, and hitched them up and on, then met her gaze again as if to say, 'Challenge met.'

Hermione tried her absolute hardest not to look again, but her eyes seemed to have a will of their own. 

Totally ignoring the tension brewing between Ginny and Harry, who were locked in a staring contest of their own, Hermione stepped closer to Ron and lowered her voice. 

"Looks like that water was a bit chilly, Ronald." 

She walked off with a saunter back towards the food she and Ginny had gathered, leaving Ron to sputter incoherently, which was his usual response when she made her standard witty remarks.

In reality, there had been nothing visually to suggest the temperature she had insinuated, but it just wouldn't do to have Ron acting all puffed up and full of himself. 

Especially if it was at her expense. 

Besides, he wasn't supposed to know he was… impressive. Which he was. Which he really, really really was. She might not have any experience, but she knew enough to, well, anyway. Moving along.

Hermione watched out of the corner of her eye at the standoff between Harry and Ginny. She knew Harry was stubborn enough not to come out, and Ginny was more than stubborn enough to refuse to give him his clothes.

Just as she was about to suggest a truce, Ginny played her trump card. "Are you a Gryffindor or not, Potter? Dean would do it in a flash."

Harry's eyes warned her she might have pushed it a bit too far. "Dean would do it just to flash you! And I think you'd better leave him out of this."

"Oh, really?" Ginny didn't back down. 

"Why on earth would it bother you for me to talk about Dean? You certainly haven't said anything to suggest that you care about anything I say about or do with him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, thoroughly nonplussed. 

The conversation had suddenly taken a sharp left turn, and he was becoming aware of the fact that she was irritated at him for some reason.

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "What do you think it means?"

Ron came up next to Hermione, casually wrapping his right arm around her waist. 

Hermione turned to inspect the bruises left by the leeches, and, after determining that Ron was no worse for wear, leaned eagerly into his embrace.

"Remember when we were like that, love?" Ron's tone was wistful.

Hermione poked him in the side. "Yes, I do. It was only this morning, after all."

Ron laughed. He couldn't disagree.

"Think he'll figure it out?" Hermione mused.

Ron nodded decisively. "Our Harry's a bit quicker on the uptake on things like this."

Hermione stared at Ron. "Do you even remember the whole Cho incident?"

Ron grimaced. "Good point. He might take longer than I did."

Hermione pretended to ponder that. "I don't know…Harry's slow, but he's not hopeless."

To Ron's credit, it only took him a few moments to detect the veiled insult. With a growl, he wrapped her up in his arms before she could dash away.

Pulling her towards him, he murmured, "Hopeless, eh?" and took her mouth. Hermione's bare toes curled into the soft sand in response. With a small whimper, she opened her mouth for him to take more. 

Is it possible for every kiss with her to be better than the last?

If so, I'll be dead from pleasure within the year, Ron thought hazily. 

Hermione's tongue snuck through and caressed his lower lip lovingly, before she nipped it softly with her teeth.

But what a way to go.

"E-hem."

Ignore them and they'll go away. Ignore them and they'll go away. 

Ron repeated the mantra inside his head, willing the words to be true with every fiber of his being.

"Ah-HEM!"

They weren't going away.

With a heavy sigh, Hermione tore her mouth from Ron's and looked into Ginny's amused eyes. 

Moving over to Harry, Hermione was relieved to discover that he was once again fully clothed. At first, she thought Ginny must have given him his clothes back, but after taking note of the red flush on Harry's cheeks, Hermione surmised that Harry had been the one who capitulated first.

Apparently seeing the question in her gaze, Harry shrugged sheepishly. "I was cold," he muttered.

Ginny, for once, kept her mouth firmly shut. It was best not to gloat when you won.

"Wait a second!" Hermione shook her head at her own forgetfulness. 

"How in the world did you two manage to get yourselves covered in leeches?"

*******************************************************************

A Half Hour Before, 

           (or How Ron and Harry managed to get themselves covered in leeches).

"Let's go this way, Ron." Harry pointed to a large thicket of trees ahead and to their left. "Looks like a lot of trees with good sized branches on them."

Ron nodded in agreement. 

"We might get lucky and find all that we need on the ground, without having to climb up and break them off by hand."

They began walking, taking care to avoid the muddy section of the slight incline they were on. 

Below them on their left was a shallow creek bank filled with muddy water. "Can't wait to see the look on Hermione's face when we come back with a month's worth of wood. 

That'd show her."

Harry laughed in response. 

Ron looked at Harry with a 'what?' expression on his face.

"Ron, you do know that you don't have to fight and compete with Hermione anymore, right? I mean, you've got her. She's yours, as long as you don't stuff it up. 

Trying to beat her at everything is a great way of ensuring that you'll be constantly disappointed, because she always wins, that you'll piss her off, because she's Hermione, and that you'll get her to sack you within the week. Not what you want, is it?"

Ron shrugged. "The competing, well I guess it's just a habit. We've been doing it so long, it'll take a while to get used to not having to."

Ron tossed Harry a smug grin. "The fighting on the other hand, is what us big boys call foreplay. I'll tell you all about it when you're older."

"Whatever," Harry shot back. "I knew it was foreplay before you knew she was a girl."

"Pretending to be unaware was all part of my genius plan. And you see where that got me."

Harry made a show of looking around. "On a deserted island, stranded from the whole of civilization?"

Ron shook his head slowly at Harry, with a 'God you're thick' expression on his face.

"On a deserted island, stranded from the whole of civilization, with Hermione."

"Ah." Harry nodded smartly. "Pure genius."

Ron puffed up his chest in a brilliant imitation of Percy. "Of course. Would you expect any less?"

Harry smiled. "Not going to touch that one, mate."

Ron let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god, my dignity remains intact."

"Gahhhh!" 

Harry's arms flailed wildly as he tripped on a tree root sticking out of the ground. Ron tried to right him, grabbing hold of his shirt awkwardly, 

but all that served was to pull him right along with Harry into the shallow, muddy bank below them.

Harry spat out some water from his mouth, grimacing. That had not tasted good.

He managed to grin over at Ron, who was trying to wipe his eyes free, only to have more water cascade down his face from his hair.

"Not funny, I was trying to help you out and now look at me!"

"Price you pay for friendship, I guess," was Harry's smart aleck reply.

"I want a refund," Ron muttered, shaking his head wildly to get rid of the water.

"Uh, Ron?"

"What?"

"What's that….thing, on you?"

"What thin- AHHHHHHHHHHH! It's on you too!"

"AHHHHHHH!!!!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

**********************************************************************

"And then we kept screaming, ran like blazes, then tossed off our clothes like madmen, which is how you found us," Ron summarized neatly, as he and Harry helped the girls bring over the last of the food they'd found.

"And now you know better, right?" 

Ron rolled his eyes. "C'mon Hermione, it's not like we fell into muddy, infested water on purpose!"

"Well, I know that, but I meant about being careful. We don't know this environment. There could be this type of stuff all around. We have to be aware and watchful at all times."

Ginny giggled. "Constant vigilance!"

Harry groaned. "Story of my life."

Hermione wiped off the last of the fruit juice that had stained her hands. 

"Let's go back, collect the firewood together so we make less trips, and try to get a fire started. It will be dark soon, I'd wager."

Everyone agreed, and they trooped back into the forest, avoiding water that looked more than an inch deep.

Able to find a sizeable supply of dry firewood, they slowly carted it back to their shelter site. By the time they finished, the sun had almost set. 

"I wanted to try to make a sort of canopy to protect the wood so it wouldn't get wet, as well as some kind of overhang for us, but I don't think we'll have time. The light's almost gone as it is. I say we just concentrate on getting a fire and hope it doesn't rain. That sound good?"

Harry frowned. "But if it rains, we won't have a fire, good firewood, or protection from getting wet."

"That's true," Hermione responded. "I just think the odds are in our favor that it won't. It's a clear night out."

"I dunno," Ron said. "I remember something about how being close to water means storms come more frequently and with less warning. Maybe we should just try to split the tasks up? You and Harry tackle the fire, and Ginny and I will try to make covers for us and the wood. If you two can get the fire going soon enough, we'll have enough light for us to all work on the covers after it gets dark."

"That's a great idea, Ron!" Hermione beamed up at him. "All that chess strategy might actually have some real world value."

"And you thought I was just procrastinating from homework." He grinned over at her. 

They set to work quickly. Ron and Ginny ran around try to find leaves to tie together, while Harry and Hermione attempted to start a fire using the "rubbing sticks together" method. 

Unable to achieve success, she sent Harry off to search for flint, then helped gather leaves until he returned, victorious. 

The fire was soon burning brightly, and the four of them tied leaves together until their fingers ached. Finally, they had enough to cover the firewood as well as another piece that covered the four of them.  They stuck four long branches deep into the sand, binding them in one place with heavy rocks, then made an X-shaped cross on top with two more long branches. 

They then draped the leaves so the material covered the top and the sides of their construction. 

Exhausted, they sat back and surveyed their work. 

"Not bad," Ginny proclaimed. "So long as we don't have any strong winds."

"I'm knackered." Ron's voice was slurred slightly from exertion. "Can we sleep now?"

"Definitely," Hermione said with a nod.

They crawled inside their shelter, and Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Harry were asleep within minutes.

In both their dreams that night, Hermione and Ginny were able to fill in the blanks to the visions their subconscious minds had only been able to guess at previously. 

Ron discovered that Hermione was a snuggler. She liked to burrow into his chest for extra warmth. She also had a habit of slinging her leg over his torso. He certainly didn't mind.

Harry got to spoon with Ginny, and managed to refrain from attacking her in her sleep. 

Though it had been touch and go for a moment around 3:17am when her hand had brushed something she would not have brushed had she been conscious. 

At least, Harry thought she wouldn't……

Their first night on Somewhere Island had gone well. It would get better.

****************************************************************

A/N

The leech portion of this chapter was inspired by a scene from a 1980's movie entitled "Stand By Me," featuring an adorably chubby young Jerry O'Connell, a sexy, hot bad boy Keifer Sutherland, a pre-Star Trek Wil Wheaton, a pre –drugged out Corey Feldman, and a young talented boy by the name of River Phoenix, whose anniversary of death by drug overdose just passed. Rest in peace, River.  I highly recommend the movie.

Because I didn't want anything happening to Ron's ….errr….bits, I left out one of the places the leeches had actually attached to on one of the characters in the film. Even though this is fiction, I refuse to contemplate typing anything that puts such a precious part of Ron in danger.  I'm sure you agree.

PLOT STARTS NEXT CHAPTER- WHOOOOHOOO!

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	6. Settling In

A/N-

Yes, Yes, I'm horrible, I suck. I haven't updated in much too long. I have been spurred to action by more than one death threat. Funnily enough, they all have come from fanfiction.net reviewers. I guess my Checkmated pals are used to me being such a slow jerk. Thanks for your patience, it is appreciated. I hope this chapter makes you happy, but it really is a stop gap before I can move the plot along more. Be warned, lots of H/G action in this chapter. Well c'mon, they have to catch up to the other two!

**********************************************************************

Ginny woke to the sound of arguing. Rolling over languidly, she found the space previously occupied by Harry empty, but still warm. After expelling an enormous yawn, she slowly sat up and looked around, blinking slowly.

It was certainly morning. She was alone in their shelter, her stomach was growing with emptiness, and her mouth felt disgustingly gritty.

Ginny was just debating whether to lie back down or venture forth in search of sustenance. She was saved from making a decision by the sight of a very messy-haired boy entering the shelter with a coconut bowl full of berries in his hands.

Ginny smiled outwardly, but inside, her heart was beating a ridiculous tattoo. _Harry _was bringing _her _food. Insanity.

Ginny scooted over to allow him room, and he settled down beside her. 

"Morning, Gin." Harry's voice was still gruff and gritty with sleep. 

Ginny's face colored as she met his gaze. "Hullo, Harry."

Awkward silence. 

"Erm, is that for me?" Ginny gestured to the fruit. 

Harry started. "Oh, yes, I- sorry."

Harry held his hands out to Ginny, and she plucked a few berries and munched. Ginny's eye's nearly rolled back in her head, so satisfying was the taste of food in her mouth.

Harry watched, enraptured, as a sound he'd never heard before unfolded from Ginny's throat. It was low, velvety, and.....sensual. Harry gulped, and his gaze went down, from her neck, lower, and lower....oh, God. Harry whipped his head back up, only to find Ginny's amused eyes staring back at him.

"See something you like, Potter?"

He was frozen. Petrified. What to say? "I- I, well, yes. I mean no. No,  yes! I -bloody hell." Ginny giggled, and leaned forward. "My thoughts exactly." 

They were only millimeters apart now, so very close to-

"What the hell? Get away from my sister, Potter!"

Ginny leaned back to glare venomously at her now least favorite brother.

"Go away!" Ginny moved back towards Harry, but he chose that moment to jump up guiltily, spilling Ginny's breakfast berries everywhere.

"Oh, uh, Gin, I'll go get you some more." And with that, the brave Harry Potter streaked from the shelter as if his bum was on fire.

Ron's gaze followed Harry's departure with satisfaction before turning to his sister with a chuckle.

 "What'd you think you were up to?" Ginny demanded, her arms now crossed in consternation.

"C'mon Gin, just having a bit of fun with him. He's so easy. Thinks I'll knock him out if I catch him touching you."

"Won't you?"

Ron shrugged, and glanced behind him quickly. "I think I'll leave that to the rest of family. I'm too happy to get mad at the moment." He smiled inwardly, thinking of the pretty girl he'd left outside to finish culling out the rest of the coconut shells. 

He'd been helping Hermione scoop out the milk and flesh when he'd flicked some of it onto her neck and chest purposely on accident. She'd complained loudly, so he'd set to clean her up by licking it off. Instead of being immediately turned on and jumping him there as he'd assumed she would, she'd shoved him down face first into the sand and stomped away, muttering about inconsiderate, randy imbeciles. 

Women. There was just no telling how contrary they could be.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Ron, you do realize we're stranded on a desert island, right? This is not a bloody vacation! We have no idea who brought us here or for what purpose!

Instead of spending your limited amount of brain capacity trying to get as far as you can with Hermione, why don't you help the rest of us figure out what's going on?"

Ron bit his lip thoughtfully. "Can't I do both?"

With frustrated screech, Ginny stormed outside, leaving Ron to his bafflement of the opposite sex.

 **************************************************************

Harry caught up with Ginny as she exited the tent, pulling her quickly towards the trees and the obscuring shadow they provided. 

As she opened her mouth to let loose on him for practically abandoning her, Harry covered it with his own. He pushed her back against the base of a tree, leveraging his body against hers. Not being very familiar with this particular activity, Harry didn't do much else besides press his lips to Ginny's. So she took over. 

Ginny raised her fingers to his face, angling her mouth to better fit his. Taking his lower lip in her mouth, she suckled it softly before letting it go.

Harry's mouth opened to do the same to her.

Ginny moaned in response, and then slid her tongue against his mouth and inside.

Harry's eye's crossed. He emulated Ginny's motion and they were soon feverishly succumbing to the physical sensations they were arousing in each other.

They fell together against the tree, then slid down until Harry was bending Ginny halfway backwards, ravaging her mouth, neck, and then further down until Harry came into contact with a new portion of Ginny, thus far unexplored. Without thought, he allowed his mouth to touch, then caress, her incredibly rounded softness. 

Ginny's cry startled them both, violently unrestrained. Harry immediately stilled, then backed away from her body and its temptation.

Breathing heavily, they stared at each other in stunned silence.

Finally, Ginny broke the silence. "Well." She hesitated, then seemed to be unable to think of anything else to say. 

Harry raked shaky hands through his hair, then began to mumble, "Gin, I'm so-" Ginny's sharp tone cut off the rest of his words.

"Don't you dare apologize, Harry. I'd have to wallop you if you did."

Harry barked out a quick chuckle. "Would you really?"

Ginny's face smoothed from a frown to a slightly mischievous grin. "If you need confirmation, just ask Ron."

"You hit him?"

"I didn't hit him, I walloped him. There is a distinct difference."

Harry waited. When she offered no more information, Harry asked, "Well, why?"

Ginny shrugged. Though she was making a valiant effort to be nonchalant, the tell tale Weasley blush indicated her embarrassment.

Harry crept a bit closer, and took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers together.

"I won't laugh," he murmured. "Swear I won't."

Ginny burrowed her face in that wonderful spot between his chest and bicep. "Yes, you will," was her muffled reply.

He brushed some leaf bits out of her hair. "Won't."

Ginny leaned back to look at him. "So, then, not going to let this go?"

Harry shook his head. "I can't, I'm too intrigued."

Ginny huffed loudly, then said, "My stupid brothers found some stupid books of mine and Ron started teasing me about them."

Harry's brow furrowed. "Why would being teased about books bother you? You're not Hermione."

"They were embarrassing kinds of books, at least when a brother sees them. It would've been fine if it was another girl, but my pratty relations don't know anything about..well, anything."

"You're not making any sense, Gin."

Ginny threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine, Harry. They were romance books. With hard-bodied men with names like Blake and Devon seducing young, nubile virgins with lots of long, flowing hair.  They all live happily ever after, shagging away."

"Ah." Harry's voice sounded feeble, as if he were trying very hard to control it. "I might be able to see why your brothers found that…..amusing."

Ginny continued, "They said that I had been obviously trying to get ideas on how to deprive you of your virtue. Ron, Fred and George were all just laughing it up. So I said that maybe Ron should be reading them too, if he wanted absolutely any chance with Hermione."

"Ouch," was Harry's response. 

"I know, it was a pretty mean thing to say, especially with the twins right there. But he hurt my feelings first."

"So, anyway," Ginny went on, her voice faltering a bit at the next part, "The twins kind of 'oohed', then started in on Ron. He pretty much ignored them, turned to me and said, 'At least I know Hermione's willing to be my friend, which is more than I can say for you'."

"Oh, Ginny."

"I saw red, Harry. I just swung as hard as I could, I don't think I even consciously decided to belt him. I got Ron right on the temple, and he flailed back, and then he went halfway down the stairs before he grabbed hold of the railing. I know I should've been horrified at myself, but I was just so furious at him, partly because, in my heart, I believed what he said. I never thought I stood a chance with you Harry. I can't believe this all isn't some beautiful dream I'll wake up from any minute now."

Harry pulled Ginny closer to him.

"It's not a dream, Gin, believe me."

He leaned towards her again, and the kiss they shared was markedly more tender than their last. 

"I don't want you to ever feel like you don't deserve this. If anything, I'm the one who's utterly amazed that you still care for me after all this time."

Ginny smiled in response, snuggling deeper into his embrace.

"And just so you know, I didn't abandon you because I was scared of Ron or anything."

"Why'd you leave, then?"

"Because if your brother had happened to glance down at any time, all three of us would have been really embarrassed."

"Oh," Ginny replied in a small voice.

"I couldn't take how you looked."

"How did I look?"  She was doing the sexy voice again, God help him.

Harry stared into her eyes, then down at the ground. "Tempting," he replied in a choked voice.

Ginny wisely decided at that moment it would be best to end that particular line of questioning, before it got them both in trouble. But it didn't stop a smug, feminine smile from appearing on her face.  It was certainly soothing to know he felt the same urges she so often did.

After a time, Harry inquired, "So what happened after you punched Ron?"

"Oh, he got Mum to heal him before she found out what he'd done to deserve it. She told him he was lucky to only get a black eye."

Harry chuckled. "That sounds like Mrs. Weasley, all right."

"Ron actually came to my room later and apologized. Apparently, he and Hermione had another fight via owl post. He'd received a rather nasty parchment from her right before our argument."

"Oh yeah, I remember that one," Harry agreed. "Hermione actually sent him a parchment disavowing their friendship. It was pretty bad."

"I have to say, I think part of the reason they're together now is because I told him what he needed to hear. And then he finally grew a pair and wrote her a nice, long letter, saying how sorry he was and that the argument was all his fault, which of course, is the best way to deal with Hermione, or any woman for that matter."

Harry pecked Ginny on the cheek. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

Ginny quirked an eyebrow. "See that you do."

"She graciously forgave him, of course," Ginny continued. 

"Of course," Harry mocked with a smile.

Ginny shoved him with her elbow, before leaning against him once more. 

They laid together in contented silence.

Ginny hesitated, then murmured, "Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Not that what just happened wasn't wonderful, because it was, but…I don't think we should be making a habit of it."

Harry sighed. "I know we got pretty carried away. I'm sorry Gin, I've never done anything like that before."

"I know," she assured him. "Neither have I. And because we're, you know, inexperienced, it would be really bad for us to get carried away. We might not know when to stop."

Harry met her eyes quickly, and said in a firm voice, "Ginny, I swear I would never, ever not listen if you told me to stop."

Ginny smiled. "The problem, Harry, is that I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to stop myself."

Harry groaned, letting his forehead fall down to Ginny's shoulder.

"You really shouldn't have told me that."

Ginny smiled, disentangled herself from his arms, and stood up.

"I know," she murmured, and walked off with a languid, utterly feminine stride.

Not for the first time, Harry James Potter wondered just what he'd gotten himself into.

************************************************************************

When Ginny returned to the campsite, Ron was pacing back and forth, kicking sand everywhere in his fervor. Ginny could see Hermione about a half-kilometer away, staring out at the ocean.

Catching sight of his sister, Ron stormed up to her, and grabbed Ginny's hands in desperation.

"Talk to her, please!" Ron begged. "Find out what I'm doing wrong that's turning her so bloody crazy."

Ginny sighed. "I'll see what I can do." 

She trudged off dutifully in the direction Hermione had stomped off in.

Ron flopped down in the sand, suddenly disgusted with the world. At least, until he realized he was all alone with a huge basketful of berries.

He grinned, glanced around quickly then began shoving handfuls into his mouth at an alarming speed.

Ron supposed things weren't that bad, after all.

*********************************************************************

"They suffer." The woman sighed in sympathy.

"They will suffer still more before it is done," replied the male warrior to his counterpart.

Beseechingly, she took his hand in hers. "Is there nothing we can do for them?"

The man looked once more through the revealing mist to the four mortals. His lips curled into a soft smile before bringing her fingers to his lips. 

"Perhaps," he allowed. "We shall see."

**********************************************************************

Elsewhere, Shadow moved, shifting slightly closer to the island. It stilled soon after, then settled down like a looming sickness, coating the area around it with evil malevolence. Waiting.

**********************************************************************

Next- 

Why is Hermione so upset?

Can Harry keep his hands off of Ginny?

More importantly, can Ginny keep her hands off of Harry?

Will Ron make it to second base with Hermione, or have to console himself with more berries?

And what in the world was that last part about?

Next chapter within a week, I've got a cookin' plot, time to write (thank god) and more inspiration (Thanks Teddy!) for some slightly (PG-13) amorous behavior. The next chapter will be followed immediately thereafter with an R rated outtake, so you know I mean it will be ……interesting. 

  
Here's a hint- Those berries are gonna do more than fill their bellies. Hehee.


	7. Feelings

Ginny plopped down next to Hermione, then busied herself by sinking her toes into the sand.

Content to wait until Hermione spoke first, she took a deep breath of the salty ocean air and tilted her face up to catch the best part of the misty breeze that swirled around them.

The view was simply marvelous. For just a moment, Ginny allowed herself to pretend that they weren't lost on some remote island. No, they were on a glorious tropical vacation, where there was no Tom Riddle, no greasy Potions master, and, thankfully, no sneering, arrogant ferret face to contend with. Only her brother, her best girl friend, and a spectacled boy with messy hair and a hero complex that made her whimper with bliss when he touched her.

Oh, yes. Life was good.

"Gin?" Hermione's tone was cautious.

Here we go, Ginny thought to herself.

"Do you think- that is, to say- never mind."

Huffing slightly, Ginny turned her body fully towards Hermione. 

About to snap at her, Ginny caught the look of misery on Hermione's face and gentled her voice in response.

"You know there's nothing you can't tell me."

Hermione bent her head. "It's so embarrassing, I can't get it out."

Ginny grinned. "Well, I certainly am familiar with that particular emotion."

"What would you say," Hermione began again, "if I told you that I think I'm becoming..morally loose?"

Ginny responded with a straight face. "I'd say that was about as likely as Dumbledore being Tom's Secret-keeper."

"I'm serious, Ginny!"

"Why would you possibly think that?"

Hermione was silent for a moment, then requested, "Promise you'll never tell anyone what I'm about to say?"

Ginny started. "Absolutely."

Hermione had to keep her gaze on the sand in order to get the words out. 

"Ron and I were cleaning out the coconut shells, and he kept, you know, touching me and stuff, pretending it was all innocent contact. I protested, naturally, but it wasn't bothering me in the least, well, not the way you'd think."

Ginny let out half a giggle, before stilling at Hermione's quick glance upward.

"So," Hermione continued, "Then he- he-"

"It's okay," Ginny soothed, reaching over to pat Hermione's back.

"He deliberately scooped up some of the coconut and threw it at my chest. I yelled at him, called him an immature dolt, I believe- and then he gave me this look that I just knew was dangerous. And then he gets up to me so as we're barely a centimeter apart, and in this incredibly deep, smooth voice, says, 'Let me get that for you.' And he just puts his mouth right on-"

Hermione's throat closed- she just couldn't say that, not even to Ginny. 

The feeling had been so sudden and fierce, she'd been barely able to push him away. It had taken everything in her power to stop herself from giving in to the sensations his mouth had created, or worse still, demanding more.

Luckily, Ginny had already guessed what Hermione was trying to convey.

Ginny didn't respond, just continued rubbing Hermione's back until her friend's breathing evened once more.

"I don't think he knew- I mean, he obviously knew where he was putting his mouth, but I don't think he realized it was at that exact spot."

Ginny's eyebrow raised. "I wouldn't say that, Hermione. I mean, it's not like we have robes to put on over our t-shirts, which are usually pretty clingy what with the water and our perspiration. I doubt him hitting your bulls eye was an accident."

Hermione let out a kind of half laugh, half gasp. That was why she loved Ginny. She could make anything funny. 

Ginny made a show of looking down her own front, then at Hermione's. 

Grinning in triumph, she said, "Well, it's a bit of a cheat to say I can see mine, what with knowing where they are and all, but if I had a quill, I think I'd be able to put an X on your spots. I can try it with some berries, if you'd rather?"

Hermione doubled over at this, and the two girls collapsed with laughter on to the sand.

Eventually, Ginny asked, "So you're mad at Ron for being so.forward?"

Hermione hesitated, then responded, "No, I'm mad at myself.because of how much I liked it."

Ginny sat up. "That's why you think you're 'morally loose'?"

Hermione shrugged.

Rolling her eyes, Ginny murmured, "Shall I tell you what I was doing a half hour ago? Harry had me up against a tree, and was pushing 'something' against me while quite enjoyably assaulting my chest. And that was about ten minutes after our first kiss."

Ginny stood up, ignoring the incredulous look on Hermione's face.

"Trust me, Hermione, you have nothing to worry about. Enjoy yourself. Who knows how much more time we'll have? Neither Ron or anyone else thinks anything but the best of you. For once in your life, enjoy yourself without thinking about the consequences. Lord knows you deserve to."

"But Gin-"

"No buts!" Ginny roared dramatically. "I demand you go find my brother at once, and find some way of letting him know you love him and aren't angry. I'm sure you'll think 

of something."

"Just a tick," Hermione said.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me more about what just happened with Harry."

Ginny blushed. "Nothing. We snogged, he said he was happy I still cared for him, and then we just kind of cuddled a bit."

Hermione waited for more, then asked, "Anything else?"

Ginny huffed. "Absolutely nothing else."

"Ginny, he- he isn't much good with girls, you know that."

"So what?" she burst out. "I've loved him since I was eleven! He'd damn well figure it out, and soon, or I'll-"

"Or you'll what?" Hermione's voice had an amused tone.

Ginny deflated. "Or I'll just keep waiting until he does." She sighed melodramatically.

"He loves you. I know he does." Hermione said firmly.

Ginny flailed her right hand. "Maybe, but what matters is that I don't think he knows he does. And what if he decides it's better if we're not together? You know how he is, Hermione."

Amused, Hermione nodded in agreement.

'Don't let him, Ginny. Fight for him."

Ginny nodded. "I will. I love him too much to let him be himself."

With a sheepish grin, she impulsively gave Hermione a fierce hug, before pulling her feet and giving her a helpful shove. 

"Now go get my brother."

Hermione looked towards the orange head in the distance apprehensively, then muttered, 

"Well I could take him to the place we found."

"Good, good!" Ginny encouraged. 

"Will you be alright with Harry?"

Ginny tilted her head to the side. "Should I even answer that?"

Hermione smiled. "Best not to. Don't want it to ruin my mood!" With that, she strode off. 

Ginny waited a beat, then yelled in retribution, 'Just remember, we don't have any contraception spells here! I'm too young and beautiful to be an aunt!"

Hermione responded with a incredibly rude gesture she must have learned from Ron. 

Or Fred or George. Or any Weasley for that matter.

***********************************************

Harry was confused. Hermione had returned to camp, all shy smiles and whispered words.

She had asked him where Ron was, and Harry had explained that Ron had eaten all their berries and so Harry had made him go get more.

Ginny, who'd followed Hermione back to their camp, had rolled her eyes and muttered that Ron would probably eat another basketful and never come back. She went off to collect him, leaving Harry and Hermione to their own devices for the time being.

Hermione kept glancing at him, and smiling mysteriously. 

Harry reddened. He had no doubt as to what they had probably been discussing.

"Harry," Hermione started. 

"No. We are not going to talk about it."

"About what?" was her innocent reply.

"About anything. We are going to sit here and look at the ocean and enjoy the sun and most importantly, not talk."

Hermione was petulant. "You never want to talk."

"Because you always force me to admit something personal and embarrassing."

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

Harry sighed. "Whatever." 

With Hermione, you never won. You could only achieve a stalemate at best, and Harry decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

"So," Hermione continued, "You and Ginny..are what, now?"

Harry didn't respond.

"Because you know, it seems like if you cared for her as it appears you do, you should.make some sort of statement to that fact."

Harry responded before he remembered he wasn't talking. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe you should let her know what you think of her as. I'm sure it's more than a snogging buddy, right?"

Harry's eyes bugged. "Of course!"

Hermione nudged him playfully with her shoulder.

"You should probably mention that, then."

Harry made a show of moving some sand around with his feet, before softly inquiring, 

"And how, exactly, would I go about doing that?"

Instead of answering, Hermione asked a question of her own.

]

"Do you love her, Harry?"

Shrugging uneasily, he replied, "I don't know. Not quite sure what that means."

"How do you feel when you're with her?"

"Happy," was his simple reply.

"Well, I always, or almost always, knew how I felt about Ron. I came to terms with it in our third year, and I waited. And waited. Because I knew he had absolutely no clue. I was okay with it, but it hurt, knowing that the person I wanted most had no feelings for me whatsoever. You have to understand that Ginny feels the same way. This is all new for you, but loving you is something that's been a part of her for years. She needs to know that this isn't just a temporary thing."

She patted his hand comfortingly.

"Until she's certain of your intentions, she'll keep a part of herself guarded. Because you keep yourself guarded, Harry. I know it's hard for you to let her know how you feel. I know you're worried that you can't protect her."

Hermione took hold of Harry's hands and smiled up at him. 

"But Harry, I have a feeling that she'll do a much better job protecting you, if you'd only let her."

Hermione never knew what Harry's response might have been, since Ron and Ginny returned at that moment.

Ginny was leading Ron by one hand, the berry basket in her other. Ron was stumbling along behind her, eyes glassy and unfocused. 

Hermione and Harry both jumped up and went to them. 

"What in the world?" Hermione looked to Ginny for answers. 

She shrugged. "I think he had too many berries. He said his stomach hurt."

Hermione touched his forehead, which was feverishly sweaty.

"You're burning up!" she exclaimed. Ron just groaned in response.

"He needs to get cooled off. Hermione, why don't you take him to that place we found?"

"Oh, yes," Hermione nodded. "That would work."

She took her boyfriend by the hand. "Ron, can you walk? He nodded sluggishly. The pair set off east, left of their encampment.

Harry turned his gaze away from them after a moment, and saw Ginny, arms crossed defensively, looking at the ground.

"Hey," he ventured softly. "You okay?"

She nodded stiffly, not meeting his eyes.

Okay, thought Harry. Obviously, Hermione had been on to something.

"Ginny," he began, then faltered. 

What exactly, should he say? He couldn't tell her what he wasn't sure he felt. He knew he'd loved Sirius, and what he felt for Ron and Hermione was love too, in a different sort of way. He felt a sort of distant love for his parents, whom he knew only by what others had told him. Remus Lupin was, well, all he had left of the Marauders, but was himself a very distant sort.

He had never before experienced the emotions Ginny stirred in him. Cho had been.an infatuation, her surface not matching her true nature in the least. Ginny on the other hand, was nothing if not honest. She was beautiful inside and out, and never ever pretended to be anything she wasn't. She could be sweet and shy, or a lioness, depending on what the situation called for. She was pure and lovely, with some of the best Weasley characteristics as well as the worst. 

She was stubborn, and mischievous, and quite prone to temper tantrums, as he had discovered the previous year at Grimmauld Place. 

She was a Weasley. And somewhere along the way, she'd turned into a woman, as well.

So, they'd circled around each other for a time, and their current experience had forced a sort of inability in Harry to resist her charms. But what happened when, if, they were able to go home? Was it this situation that made him feel so strongly for her? Or was it real?

How was he supposed to know?

He didn't. He simply had no clue. He supposed it was time to admit that to her.

"Ginny," he said again, "I-"

Harry's voice cut off as Ginny gave a hoarse shout. From the woods, a huge snarling boar, black as night, approached, ears bent back and nostrils smelling them, sensing meat.

"Get behind me," ordered Harry. 

Ginny seemed frozen.

"Ginny!" Harry screamed her name this time.

She moved, slowly backing away from the animal. 

Harry waited until she had moved behind him, before he guided her towards the water. 

The boar, apparently sensing their attempt at escape, charged.

Both Harry and Ginny turned and ran for their lives.

**********************************************

"C'mon, Ron, we're almost there."

Hermione was getting worried. Ron hadn't been getting any better during their walk towards the circle of rocks she and Ginny had found in their travels.

She helped him step over some of the more jagged rocks, before they sank into the beautiful blue water that was surrounded by smooth boulders.

Ron let out a moan of happiness as the cool water soothed his heated skin.

The discovery had been a mistake. Ginny had climbed the rocks in order to see a bit more of the island, hoping to get a vision of the landscape. She had been pleasantly surprised to discovered that the rock she was standing on was one of several that surrounded a section of water. They were just high enough to rest your back on as you sank your body into the softly swirling water. They were formed in a circular shape, giving the appearance of a Muggle Jacuzzi, but Hermione didn't think she'd been very successful in conveying that idea to Ginny. 

Hermione moved next to him, watching his responses carefully. She didn't want to look away and have him drown on her.

He opened his eyes, and turned his eyes slightly to look at her.   
  
Hermione only had time to note that his blue eyes were suddenly clear and bright before he roughly covered her mouth with his own.

***********************************************

A/N 

Hopefully, you all have realized exactly where Ron put his mouth that got Hermione all bothered. I can't say it explicitly, having a PG-13 rating and all.

1-R-rated R/H outtake next.

2- The boar is more than just a boar.

3- In two chapters, Harry has an epiphany. 


	8. Aphrodisiacs are Cool

**************************************************

A/N- 

Ok, guys, big warning- This chapter is RATED R!!!!!!! You were told last chapter this would be coming, but I wanted to make that absolutely clear before you read on. There is graphic sexual activity in this chapter, but it is my personal feeling that it is well within reason. I hope you enjoy. Perhaps more than any other chapter, I would really appreciate you reviewing and letting me know how you personally felt about this part. It really will affect how I pursue some of the later chapters, specifically if I write any more outtakes or not. I know, thanks to the wonderful Allison, that loads of you are reading this fic! Please send me a response, I'll take a one-liner! If nothing else, consider it a reward to me for  posting this two days after the last chapter. Hehee. Hopefully that last little guilt trip will get the job done.

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Hermione wasn't breathing. 

It wasn't as if she _couldn't_. Ron was no longer crushing her lips with his own; he had moved down to her neck. He was rubbing the delicate skin there with his teeth, then massaging it with his lips and tongue. 

Her body was simply refusing to perform the usually automatic process. She was absolutely incapable of doing it herself. 

All she could do was feel.

Feel the nip of his teeth against her shoulder.

Feel the slight rasp of his hair on his chin as he rubbed it frantically against her 

Feel his hands, gliding up her body, then against her breasts, strong and firm as he caressed her.

Feel, oh god, _him_ against her inner thigh, hot and hard and pulsing.  

Somewhere, dimly, Hermione knew that this was..unusual.

But then, Ron surged forward, and the most intimate part of him, though restrained still by his pants, touched just where her body needed it most, though Hermione didn't recognize it until the instant in which it happened. 

Control was gone. There was only she and Ron, in a tropical paradise, discovering the pleasures they could give each other. Although, at the moment, Ron was doing all the work.

Deciding to fix that, Hermione raised her hands and threaded her fingers through his hair. She coaxed his head up and back to her lips, then met his passion with equal fervor. 

Something odd and unfamiliar was coiling in her center, a swirling of love and lust and an even more foreign feeling of recklessness. She unconsciously pushed back against him. 

He groaned, a guttural sound that only seemed to excite her further. He seemed to lose another level of control, his movements against her become more and more desperate. 

She wrapped her legs around him, as much to stop them from bumping each other un-rhythmically as to guide him closer to where she wanted him most.

She felt as if she might soar out of her own body if she didn't maintain a tight hold to him, so heavenly were the sensations careening through her.

And suddenly, he was there, oh and something was building inside her, raging to be freed. She couldn't help the whimper that escaped her mouth, followed soon after by her breathless plea for more.

Ron must have heard her, because the pace and strength of his movements increased.

His hands moved to her bottom, gripping it with his large hands and pulling her effortlessly up, and then against him.

Their respective moans mingled together.

Hermione's head was rolling from side to side, and she was dimly aware that she was muttering nonsensical words.

Ron could smell her. Her scent and feel, the unique flavor of Hermione overwhelmed him. At that moment, all he wanted was to bury himself inside her until he died, happily, from the sheer, overwhelming pleasure of it all.

He went over. 

And he took her with him. 

Still holding her up with his left hand, he moved his right between their bodies and pressed three fingers against her firmly. Despite the barrier of her clothing, he unerringly found the place that made her come apart in his arms.

Her cry was instinctual, primal in its tone. 

She was undone.  

Eventually, Hermione came back to herself, hazily aware that Ron's hands were attempting to pull down her pants. He was breathing harshly, teeth clenched and eyes wild. 

She tried to protest, but her breath hadn't yet come back. She settled for pushing his hands away weakly. 

Ron actually growled at her, and didn't stop.

For the first time, Hermione became a bit alarmed. She managed to croak out a "No," upon which Ron froze. He closed his eyes tight and went utterly still, before releasing a loud moan and burying his face in the crook of her neck. 

She felt him shudder and gyrate against her several times, before uttering one more harsh sound and slowly stilling against her. 

He started to sink down, and Hermione wrapped her arms around him, alarmed. Leaning against her, he whispered brokenly over and over again, "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, sorry."

Hermione murmured reassurances to him until his own mutterings ceased. 

Tilting her head upward so she could see his face, the reason he had stopped was immediately evident. 

Ron's eyes had rolled back in his head, and hives were forming on his skin. He had passed out.

******************************************

How was that? 

And yes, Ron is under the influence of something. He'd normally be a much more considerate bloke. 


	9. New Discoveries

Ginny was going to die. She felt it with absolute certainty as she stared into the face of the growling boar, already snarling in anticipation of a good meal. 

It crept closer and closer, Ginny attempting to pull Harry back and shield him from what would surely be his death as well as her own. 

He refused to move. In a whisper, he told her to get in the water. He was reasonably certain wild boars couldn't swim. 

Ginny took a tentative step back to comply, then several more. Fast as lighting, the boar growled even louder and, moving in a half circle, positioned itself in between them and the sea. 

"Ginny," Harry started, his voice breaking with emotion. "I'm so sorr-"

She cut him off abruptly. "I love you Harry. It's okay."

The animal went back on its hind legs, preparing to strike.

Closing her eyes in anticipation of the attack, Ginny didn't see the magnificent beast bearing down on them from the forest. 

At the sound of a powerful neigh from behind, Ginny's eyes flew open just in time to see a majestic white horse, now kicking its powerful legs at the boar's head and torso. The boar hissed in response, trying several times to bite the horse before succeeding. The horse reared up, its front leg now bleeding a bright red against a pure white coat, and delivered a kick that sent the boar back several feet. It remained still for a moment, then vanished in a swirl of black mist. 

Ginny and Harry first stared at each other, then at the horse, which hobbled over to them.

Ginny reached out a tentative hand, then couldn't help but grin as the horse nuzzled her palm with its nose. 

"Thank you," she murmured softly, rubbing first his nose, then the top of his head right between the ears. "You saved us."

"Gin, he's hurt," Harry interjected. He pointed out the injury to her.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Ginny exclaimed. She began to tear a part of her t-shirt off when the horse bumped her shoulder softly, then cocked his head back and forth to the side, as if to say, _I'll be fine_. 

The horse then turned towards Harry and neighed loudly. Approaching the horse cautiously, Harry was surprised to see the horse lower his rear. 

Casting a quick glance back at Ginny, Harry said, "I think he wants me to climb on."

The horse neighed again as if to affirm. Ginny watched Harry mount the horse, and had barely the chance to exclaim loudly when the horse sped away, Harry perched precariously on its back. 

Harry, for that matter, almost fell off, so quick was the horse's burst of speed. He managed to grab its mane and hold on for dear life. After yelling at Ginny to get in the water for safety, he tried to glance back to make sure she'd complied and nearly unseated himself in the process. 

The horse surged down the beach, kicking up sand everywhere. For once, Harry was glad he wore glasses; they protected him from most of it. 

Harry had to wrap him arms fully around the horse's neck as it made a sudden, sharp turn.

He could now make out Hermione's head in the distance. As he got closer, he could see Ron lying prone on the sand. 

Harry's heartbeat sped up again. The horse came to a stop next to Hermione, who was crying hysterically and attempting to resuscitate Ron by CPR. She didn't stop when Harry dismounted and fell to the sand next to her, but continued beating on Ron's chest and breathing for him. 

The horse whinnied again, and dropped his rear as he had done before. Harry grabbed hold of Hermione's shoulders.   
  


"Hermione, I think the horse knows how to help Ron."

Hermione shrugged Harry's hands off of her, and continued on as if she hadn't heard him. Harry grabbed her again, and added a shake to capture her attention. 

"Hermione! You have to let me take Ron. I promise, we'll help him."

"He just collapsed, Harry," was her despondent reply. "He's not breathing. He's dead."

"He's not dead." Harry's voice was firm with conviction. "He's not."

Harry slung Ron's limp arm around his neck, then heaved his body towards the horse. 

Harry swung up behind Ron, bracing him against his chest with one arm before grabbing hold of the horse's mane with the other. 

"Find Ginny," he ordered, and was gone. 

*************************************************************

Harry cursed as yet another tree branch whipped into his face. The horse had carried them deep into the forest. Harry no longer recognized anything around him.

Ron was pale and still beneath him. Harry didn't dare attempt to check for a pulse or breath; he didn't want to know. All his prayers were with the horse, hoping with all his heart that the beast knew what it was doing. 

Just as he'd finished that thought, Harry heard a thundering sound. The air was suddenly cooler as well. Harry felt a slight mist on his skin just as the trees cleared, giving way to the incredible sight before him. 

It was a lake. A beautiful, crystal clear blue lake, complete with bright, exotic flowers and a large waterfall that spilled a lightly breezing mist into the atmosphere. 

The horse slowed, but Harry barely noticed. The sight was simply too beautiful to be real. 

The horse approached the edge of the water, and Harry was preparing to dismount when suddenly, it leaped straight forward straight into the lake, taking Ron and Harry along. 

Harry sputtered up above the surface a moment later. Not immediately seeing Ron floating in the water, Harry panicked and dived again, after first slinging his glasses toward the mossy bank of the lake.

 Harry searched underwater for several moments, his desperation growing, when he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. Ron's body was bobbing slowly away, drifting along with the ripples caused by the water fall. 

Harry swam feverishly, trying to reach Ron before he ran out of breath. Harry managed to grab hold of Ron's shirt and pull him back towards him. Harry was startled half to death when Ron's eyes abruptly opened underwater. 

Harry yelped and released Ron, who flailed his way to the surface in search of oxygen. Harry followed soon thereafter, watching as Ron managed to hoist himself onto the bank, falling onto his back and breathing in loud, harsh gasps.

Harry collapsed next to him, stunned and grateful beyond relief. He sat up abruptly, searching for the white horse that had saved Ron. Harry found it across the lake, staring back at them. It stood motionless for a moment, then lowered its head in what seemed to Harry like a bow, before cantering away into the trees. 

Harry would later remember that its leg no longer had a wound.

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Harry had no idea how he and Ron managed their way out of the forest and back to their camp. He had picked a direction and they had set off, leaving a trail by marking trees with rocks. Along the way, Harry attempted to question Ron on what had happened, but Ron had remained uncharacteristically tight-lipped about the whole matter. Harry left it alone, knowing quite well how it felt to be forced to talk things he had no desire to.

It seemed like ages before he and Ron came upon the muddy water where they had been introduced to slugs. They walked faster, and eventually exited the trees to find Hermione and Ginny huddled together by the fire. 

The girls both jumped up and ran toward them, embracing them both in turn.   
  


"You're all right!" Hermione murmured wonderingly. She looked absolutely horrible, her eyes red and swollen from crying.

"Yeah," was Ron's short reply before he buried his face in her hair and held on.

 Ginny motioned silently to Harry, who nodded in understanding. They walked off a bit in order to give the other couple some privacy. 

"What in the world happened?" Ginny demanded. "Hermione made it sound as if Ron was-was-"

Harry shrugged, absolutely bewildered as to the events that had transpired. "Gin, to be honest, I think he was. Then the horse took us to this lake, and as soon as we fell in, he woke up."

"He just woke up?" 

"Yeah." As was his nervous habit, Harry moved to push his glasses up his nose with a finger, then suddenly realized they weren't on his face.

"Gin?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"I'm not wearing my glasses, am I?"

"No, why?"

Harry blinked a couple times to make sure, then said, "Because I can see you perfectly."

Ginny's own eyes widened considerably. "When was the last time you wore them?"

"Right before the- the lake! That's it, Ginny! I bet it has healing properties of some sort. That's why Ron woke up, why I can see without my glasses, and why the horse's wound healed itself."

"It sounds incredible Harry. Are you sure there isn't some other explanation?"

"What else could it be?"

"I have no idea. Do you think you could find it again?"

"Definitely. We marked our path back."

"So we'll take a trip, first thing tomorrow. I want to see this lake for myself."

'You don't believe me."

"No, I do." Ginny bit her lip. "That's what worries me."

*********************************************************

She watched him approach with guarded eyes. She made no sound as he transformed from beast back to man.

He stood next to her, and there was a tense silence for a time before her quiet words of censure came. 

"Liam, you should not have interfered."

His response was sharp, roughened by anger and frustration. 

"He broke the covenant first."

"That excuses nothing."

"What would you have me do? Leave them to be murdered one by one, and our hope for an end to this exile gone with them?"

"There were other ways."

"None so effective and pleasing."

"You have only angered him. He will return, stronger and more cunning."

"We will be ready for him."

"But will they?"

His silence was answer enough.

"Perhaps," she ventured softly, "it is time to begin. We have watched them enough. We no longer have the luxury of patience."

"They aren't ready. The bond has not yet been formed. How do we know they're worthy?"

"Do you think he'll wait for it before he comes for them? He takes no chances in his quest for power."

With a growl, Liam moved away from her, turning his back and crossing his arms. 

"If we fail, if they aren't who we believe they are, they will die and we will never return home."

She reached out to clasp his hand in hers. "So we will not fail."

He nodded slightly. "Start the visions. Begin with the youngest girl, her heart is the most open."

Lana smiled in agreement. Clearing her mind, she focused on connecting to the small, fiery redhead with the large heart and ferocious temper. And began.

*****************************************************************

Yes- plot plot and more plot. Are you excited yet?

I dropped a LOT of hints this chapter. See if you can piece something together. 

Next up- 

* Ginny dreams of another time and place.

* Ron's reaction to his behavior.

* Harry tries to find his glasses.

* Hermione has….issues.

All that and…..Harry's epiphany revealed! I wanted to put it in this chapter, but the flow wouldn't allow for it.


	10. Repercussions

I have finally decided to post. I have not been able to post at my regular site, Checkmated, and have been trying to get the issue resolved forever. I just can't wait any longer, so I will be posting this chapter and the next two I have already written in the following intervals; One today, Monday, one Friday, and one the following Friday.

Thanks for bearing with me for so long.

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The noon trumpet sounded across the meadow. Cloaked and hidden amongst the trees, Ginny paid it no mind; she was intent on her mission. Derren, the young prince from the neighboring province of Parona was approaching the castle, and it was her sworn duty to get a good look at him and report back to her sister. It was a system the two had perfected over the year as countless suitors were paraded about.

She froze at the sound of a sword being unsheathed, and a cold voice hissed, "Don't move, unless you want a hole in your middle."

And up until now, she groaned inwardly, the system had worked flawlessly.

She stood motionless, quite sure whoever owned that voice meant business.

"Remove your hood, slowly, and turn around."

Ginny sighed, and did as she was ordered.

And looked up to see the most beautiful pair of green eyes she'd ever encountered.

The man's eyes widened, presumably because he'd recognized her face.

"Begging your pardon, Princess Alaina. I had no idea-"

"It's quite alright," she assured him with a lilting laugh. "I don't suppose you would have, what with my skulking about in a dark cloak."

He smiled back, and she was thoroughly charmed by the shallow dimple in his cheek. 

"And you are?" Ginny prompted, wondering who this stranger was who had been so intimidating a moment before. For the first time, she noticed he was wearing garments in the style and color of the Parona guard.

Don't say Derren, Don't say Derren, she thought repeatedly.

"I am Aaron, of the King's personal guard."

Ginny couldn't help a silly little grin from appearing on her face.

"Aaron…." He watched with amusement as she seemed to consider him.

Nodding decisively, she continued, "It fits you."

He inclined his head solemnly. "Thank you, Princess."

She rolled her eyes. "Just Alaina, please."

"As you wish, Princess Just Alaina."

The giggle burst out of her, unbidden. With a bright smile, she exclaimed, "Oh, you are quite amusing."

"It pleases me to please you, Princess Just Alaina."

"Would you stop that if I commanded you to?"

"Of course, but it would pain me greatly."

"Well," Ginny mused, "We wouldn't want any unnecessary discomfort!"

Aaron's eyes twinkled back at her. "Of course not, Your Highness."

"And how did you come to be here, Aaron? Also, kindly explain why you felt it necessary to draw your sword upon my back?"

"I apologize again, Your Highness. I was scouting the area to ensure Prince Derren's safety. I saw you, shrouded in your cloak, and could not determine your identity. Forgive me."

She arched an eyebrow at him, then said, "I already have."

"Princess," he began, then hesitated.

"Yes, Aaron of the King's personal guard?"

"If I may, was there a reason you were hiding out here? Were you in danger?"

"Oh, no, nothing of the sort." Ginny continued, "I'll tell you, but you must keep it a secret."

"Of course, Your Highness."

'I too, was scouting the area, in a way. For my sister."

Aaron nodded solemnly. "I see. I am sorry for disturbing your…..surveillance."

Ginny grinned. "I accept your apology. What can you tell me of your Prince?"

Aaron pursed his lips for a moment, then replied, "He is kind, considerate, and compassionate. He will rule well."

'I meant as a man, not as a future King."

Aaron smiled. "If I had a sister, I would not worry for her."

Ginny returned his smile. "Thank you."

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Ginny sat up abruptly in her tent.

The morning sun shone brightly in her eyes, causing her to blink repeatedly. There was a faint dull thudding at the back of her head, and her mouth felt oddly gritty. Harry slept on beside her, his light snores melding with the birdsong outside into an oddly harmonious rhythm.

With a start, Ginny remembered the events of the last few days. They were stranded, alone, without any idea of where they were or how they'd gotten here.

It welled up inside her so suddenly that she had no chance to halt it. She missed her Mum, the smell of her hair when Ginny nestled her head against her should for a long hug.

She missed her father's quick shoulder pats and forehead kisses. And God help her, she even missed her brothers.

Her eyes filled, tears spilling over. Suddenly feeling immensely alone, curled into a ball, Ginny wept for her family.

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Hermione rolled her eyes in response to Ron's hesitant question. He had been treating her like glass all morning, staring at her apprehensively, then quickly looking away when she met his gaze.

"Honestly, Ron, not everything is about you!"

Ron threw up his hands. "What then, Hermione? Why are you acting so….."

"So what?" Her voice had turned even more frigid, if that was possible."

"So bitchy!" As soon as he spat the words out, Ron wished he could take them back, certain she was about to slap him, or worse, tell him that this had all been a mistake and his behavior had made her realize that she didn't really feel the way he did about her.

The one thing he didn't expect was for her to burst into tears.

Ron immediately reached over and awkwardly patted her on the back.

"I'm sorry," he cried, his voice hitching violently. "I shouldn't have yelled, just- please- stop crying!"

"It's not….you!" Hermione wailed between sobs.

A bit relieved, Ron pulled her into his lap, rubbing her back in soft circles as she wet his entire chest front.

"Please, love, what's wrong?"

Hermione sniffled, glanced up at him, then buried her face into his shoulder once more.

"I can't tell you," was her muffled reply.

"Course you can," Ron coaxed.

"It's embarrassing."

"I won't laugh, I swear."

She looked up again, smiling at him tremulously.

'It's…I have cramps."

Ron frowned. "Where, in your legs? No problem, I'll rub them right out. I do it all the time for Quidditch."

She giggled. He was so…..Ron.

"Not those kind of cramps, Ronald."

"Oh. Oh!!"

There was a long silence. When Hermione dared to look at him again, he was absently trailing his finger in the sand, red as a tomato.

"So…erm, moving on…about yesterday..."

It was Hermione's turn to look down at the ground.

"Oh, that," was her quiet reply.

He ran his hand over his face in agitation. 'I'm so – I can't believe I did- that- to you. I don't understand why you're even talking to me. I fully expected that you were, well, disgusted."

"Ron," Hermione started, but he continued on fervently.

"I remember that it felt like, like part of me was over myself, watching it happen, but- I couldn't stop it- and I just hated what was happening but- I-"

At a loss for any other way to shut him up, Hermione covered his mouth with her hand.

"Listen to me, Ron. What happened yesterday, it wasn't your fault."

He made a sound of dissent, and Hermione hurried on.

"It was the berries, you idiot. You must have eaten half a forest-full. Whatever was in them contained some sort of aphrodisiac, which eventually made you sick.

My bet's on a slow acting poison that gave you a sense of euphoria and an eventual lack of control. The result was the same as if you'd drank a half bottle of firewhiskey."

Ron absorbed this, his brow furrowed. He remembered eating the whole basket of berries, but he'd assumed his stomachache had been because he'd had too much for his shrinking stomach to take. Now that he thought about it, he'd felt progressively worse and worse since he'd eaten them, until…..

"I just want you to know," Ron started in a hoarse, gravelly tone, "That I never intended on doing ….what happened yesterday. I respect you way too much to…..force myself on you like I did. It doesn't matter how or why it happened, but that it did. I made you afraid of me, and that makes me sick inside."

Hermione moved to embrace him, but he stood suddenly, his back to her.

"Just…just give me some time, alright? I need to think about this."

She lowered her head. She'd known that he would react badly, but… Hermione couldn't help the emotion in her voice. "How much time, Ron?"

Ron turned back towards her, and she saw the grin she'd loved since the age of twelve.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist. I'm not _ditching_ you. We're on a bloody island, Hermione!"

She tried desperately to keep the look of utter disgust upon her face, but eventually, her lower lip began to tremble slightly, which was a sure sign to Ron that she was barely containing a laugh.

He strode over and scooped her up in his arms, hugging her fiercely.

"I love you."

She smiled into his neck.

"You'd better. So," she continued, looking up at him. "Are we okay?"

After a moment of serious consideration, he nodded, giving her a quick, firm kiss.

Hand in hand, they began to walk back towards camp.

Glancing down at her, Ron asked in a deadpan voice, "Just out of curiosity, how long will it take for what happened yesterday to be repeated, of course without the berries and such?"

Hermione pretended to consider. "Well, that depends."

"On what?"

She smiled wickedly, walking on even as he'd stopped.

Over her shoulder, Hermione called out, "On how long we're on this damned island. If we end up stuck here, there should be _some_ sort of compensation, don't you think?"

Staring after her, Ron grinned stupidly in response.

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Harry heard muffled noises as he gained consciousness. Blinking slowly, he twisted his head around to see Ginny, her head bowed, shoulders shaking.

He realized with a start that she was crying. For a moment, he debated pretending to go back to sleep, but he felt that was…cheating somehow.

He wasn't used to voluntarily dealing with emotions, he much preferred ignoring them until they went away or blew up. But with Ginny, he felt like…..it'd be worth all that emotional rubbish if it made her feel better. If she was happy.

He reached an arm out and purposefully wrapped it around her.

"It's okay," he murmured awkwardly. "Cry all you want, I've got you."

Her breath hitched at his words, and she shook more, if that was possible. Ginny then burrowed herself into Harry and held on until she cried herself out.

"Thank you," she whispered to him.

"Don't mention it." Harry gave a mock shudder. "Really. I think I might be allergic to tears."

'Sorry to put you through it, then." Stiffening, Ginny tried to un-tuck herself from Harry's embrace.

Harry responded by wrapping her up even more, and leaning his head down to speak into her ear.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be, Gin." And he meant it.

Taking a breath, he began to softly stroke her hair. "Now, what brought this on?"

"I was thinking of my family, and how much I miss them. It's odd, isn't it?" Ginny's tone was wistful.

"I've spent most of my life being embarrassed by them or angry at them, and in less than a week, I feel like there's a piece of me missing somewhere."

Harry chuckled. "It'd probably be best not to mention that to Fred and George, or even Ron for that matter. You'll be teased into oblivion the next time they see you."

Ginny immediately teared up again. "That's just it, Harry. I'm not sure I will see them again."

"Of course you will, Ginny. We'll figure this place out, just like we do everything else. I promise."

Ginny sighed. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Harry."

"Well, then, what am I supposed to do? I want to make you feel better."

His face was so earnest that Ginny couldn't help but be moved.

"You could kiss me, Harry."

Harry blinked. "What, now?"

Ginny leaned back, tilting her head up to him.

"I think now would be a very good time," she returned, her voice husky in anticipation.

Still unsure if this was a good idea, Harry tentatively lowered his lips to hers.

Just as before, the world twisted, then fell away.

What he had intended to be a quick, comforting kiss immediately turned feral in its intensity. Harry's hands came down to cradle Ginny's face.

She arched up into him, and before he knew it, he was laying halfway on top of her.

Harry's brain kept repeating Ginny's earlier words.

_I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to stop myself._

_I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to stop myself._

_I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to stop myself._

"Ginny, wait," he managed to gasp out as her hands nimbly un -tucked his shirt and moved up to caress his upper chest. His body was already spinning out of control, and the feel of her under him was starting to make his brain fuzzy.

Ginny opened her eyes drowsily, hands now roving up and down his back.

"It's alright if you don't say the words, Harry. I can feel it. Don't stop. I- I need you so much."

After 'don't stop,' the blood rushing to his ears made Harry deaf to all the rest.

Ginny lay under him, open and loving. Willing to accept anything he could give. Settling.

She deserved so much more than that. 

And he knew. Suddenly, with perfect clarity, Harry perhaps for the first time understood the love his parents must have shared.

He'd always been the one to save the day, to protect and defend. He realized with a start, that it was one thing to risk your life, and entirely another to risk your heart.

Harry lowered his body back down on top of hers, his hands roaming down and pulling her against him.

Sweetly, he whispered the words he had at one time feared he would never be able to say.

"I love you, Ginny."

Before she'd even begun to absorb his words, Harry had lifted his body away.

And then turned and walked out of the tent. 

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Next chapter: The mystery of the island, revealed!

Next chapter: It's a surprise!


	11. Interlude

This little interlude contains the basic outline of the plot, but there are still some surprises later on along the way. I know some of you where wondering what was going on back in the real world, so this chapter serves a dual purpose. I hope you like reading it as much as I liked thinking it up.

Molly Weasley slapped her hand against the kitchen table in frustration.

Everyone would be arriving any minute and the tea tray she'd prepared had just careened to the floor.

With a impatient 'Accio,' her wand was in her hand and the tray repaired.

If only Reparoworked on broken hearts.

Straightening her shoulders resolutely as various pops sounded in her living room, Molly swiftly brought in the tea, setting it down on the table.

She then took a moment to look around her, and was both saddened and thankful for the faces she observed.

Remus Lupin, drawn and pale. Tonks, her usually cheery countenance now grim, with her brow furrowed in a frown.

Alastor Moody, pacing a new path into Molly's floor, muttering to himself.

In contrast, Kingsley Shacklebolt stood motionless, leaning against the near wall, arms crossed and eyes closed.

And then, there were her boys. Fred, Bill, George and Charlie. They had been speaking quietly with one another, but stopped as soon as they saw her enter.

Just as Molly was about to address them, two more pops indicated that the last of the arrivals had come.

Arthur and Albus Dumbledore entered the room in tandem. Arthur crossed to his family and wrapped his arm around his wife.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"I have found some information that sheds new light on the children's disappearance. It is both heartening and troubling, I'm afraid."

Dumbledore held up _Ancient Protection Spells of Power_, which was glowing slightly.

"This book could not have been used as a portkey, as it remained behind."

"What is it then," piped Charlie with a frown. "Something new from the Dark Lord?"

"I do not believe so, Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore sighed heavily, taking a seat in an old, worn armchair.

"I have spent much time researching this….artifact, and I am confident that this matter has nothing to do with Voldemort at all."

There were sounds of collective relief throughout the room.

Molly visibly relaxed, only to stiffen at Dumbledore's next sentence.

"Not of Voldemort, but still quite dangerous, I'm afraid."

Bill spoke up. "What are we dealing with, then?"

"Ages ago," Dumbledore began, "before the split of magical and non-magical beings, "kingdoms often consolidated, merged, in order to pool their magical strength and maintain health and prosperity for their citizens. In this way, similar to Muggle leaders in Britain, royalty often combined their family lines through marriage.

This book, at first, was to be a chronicle of the historical merging of two of the largest kingdoms of the time, Parona and Valen.

By its completion, it had been transformed into the key for ending the war between the two lands and their enemies."

"What happened, Albus? What caused the war?" It was obvious that Arthur was engrossed in Dumbledore's tale.

"Oh, by the usual means, I suppose. A man who wanted power at any cost. The King of Valen had a brother, who desired both the throne and the neighboring kingdom. If a marriage occurred, the Paronan prince would rule the two lands.

So, he conspired, with others, to simultaneously assassinate his brother and break the impending marriage.

"How?" Tonks spoke up this time.

The rest of the room was hanging on Dumbledore's every word.

" The King of Valen had but two daughters, which meant he would not have a heir to succeed him, leaving the way clear for his younger brother to assume the throne. The betrothal took the crown right from Prince Mornen's grasp. Mornen accused a guard from Parona of …defiling the younger princess.

The Paronans stood by the guard, as Mornen hoped, and the betrothal was ended and war declared, over a loss of virtue that had never occurred.

The Queen of Valen believed her daughter, and was suspicious of the circumstances. She sensed deception, as Mornen just happened to be the one that found them together. She sought a Seer, who told her of Mornen's true nature.

She eventually convinced her husband of his plot, who cast Mornen and his followers out of their lands.

Peace was declared once more and the marriage uniting the kingdoms occurred. Many years later, Mornen returned, more powerful than anyone had ever seen. He was able to drain the magical energy of others at will, adding it to his own.

What he sought most was the King's amulet, which contained the energy of both Parona and Valen. Unfortunately for him, it could not be taken, only freely given by the King himself.

He tried coercion, vowing to kill the Royal family if King Derren did not comply, but nothing born of intimidation would release the amulet.

 Thousands died as he gained more and more strength, and the royal family of Parona-Valen was helpless to stop it. Mornen, in his viciousness, had cast a spell to submerge the land into the sea.

In desperation, they bound the amulet, the remaining energy of themselves and their land, along with two of their bravest, most dedicated guards, and imbued all into this book.

Drawn by the power, Mornen stormed their home to find the family dead, and the book glowing brightly. Driven by greed, he grasped it, and was bound to the book as well.

Where he remains."

"Let me guess," interjected Bill. "Until someone opens it."

Dumbledore smiled. "Until someone worthy, someone in sincere, selfless need, opens it."

"Hermione," breathed Remus.

"Exactly. She needed the book to help Harry fight Voldemort. For whatever reason, it chose to allow her and Ron in, along with Ginny and Harry."

"Dumbledore, if they're actually in the book, what will they see? I mean, where do they think they are?"

"The book is a realistic imitation of Parona-Valen, which had begun to sink after Morden's return. I imagine them to be on an island, surrounded on all sides by the sea."

"They must be terrified." Molly's voice trembled with emotion. "They can't know any of this. They'll think it's …._him_."

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "And remember, what remains of Morden is there, with them, waiting for an opportunity to take the amulet and control its power. If that were to happen, he would be able to leave that existence, and I fear we could have another Dark Lord on our hands."

"Well, at least they're together," Molly said, with a firm tone that suggested she was trying to convince herself of something. "I'm sure they'll all take care of each other."

Fred and George chuckled in unison.

"Oy, Mum. On a desert island, I'm sure they'll care _real_ good care of each other." Fred added an exaggerated wink to his statement, lest anyone failed to grasp the subtext of his words.

Across, the room, Moody chuckled. He'd been thinking along the same lines.

Arthur shook his head exasperatedly at his son, then patted his wife on her shoulder to ease her worry before that line of thought went running through her head.

"Don't worry, Molly. They're barely in sixth year. Not time for any of that quite yet. The only thing we'll have to worry about is Ron and Hermione shouting each other to death, and neither would give the other that satisfaction."

"Er," Remus Lupin interjected. "That's not entirely accurate, Arthur."

"What do you mean, Remus? Molly's voice rose shrilly.

"Well, I happened to see, that is, right before they disappeared…Ron managed to…ah…let his feelings be known?"

Tonks piped up. "And they were quite obviously reciprocated."

"He…" Arthur eyes widened as a small, prideful smile took over his face. "That's my boy!" He punctuated his sentence with a slap to his knee.

He stilled at the sharp look Molly shot his way.

"So," Fred asked loudly, "Diagon Alley was the official day? Let's see, let's see…" He was flipping through a small book. "Of all the ...Ginny! Ginny won the bloody pool! One hunded galleons she can't even spend." Apparently, he and George found this incredibly hilarious, though the rest of the Weasleys were not as amused.

"So, let's see." Bill began. "We have an evil, scorned prince, most likely older than the dirt this house is built on, a deserted island, and four teenagers, two of which are now a couple, and are known for their inability to maintain control of themselves. That about sum it up?"

"I'm sure they wouldn't dream of doing anything with Harry and Ginny there."

"Mum, are you blind? You had to have noticed Harry was staring at Ginny all summer, and he wasn't always looking at her face."

George grinned. "Maybe they've already made separate treehouses for privacy."

Bill and Charlie stood at once, shouting at the twins to shut it about their sister.

They shouted right back, and a shoving match between the twins, Bill and Charlie quickly escalated.

Too fed up to bother with the lot of them, Molly sent a quick stupefy, calculated to fly between them and settle them down. It worked.

As the proverbial dust settled, Tonks addressed the room at large.

"Isn't there anything we can do to free them? Send them a note, at the very least?"

Dumbledore frowned. "I am afraid not, Tonks. This book is impenetrable. What we must do, for the meantime, is ensure that Voldemort does not learn of this situation. If the book is destroyed, so also, are those inside it."

"The four of them, all alone." Molly muttered, shaking her head repeatedly.

"They'd better behave themselves."

Dumbledore stood, signaling that the meeting was over. As they began to file out, Fred patted his mother comfortingly. He was followed by George, who wasn't as silent.

"Cheer up Mum," said George on his way out of the room. "You'll likely get at least one grandchild out of this!"

He narrowly avoided the hex she shot after him.

Next Up!

Ron contemplates the need for those treehouses, and has a strange dream.

See Harry act like an idiot in love.

Hermione and Ginny bond a bit.


	12. Treehouses and Tickling

This is about a day late, and I apologize!

My birthday was Friday the 23rd, and I got kidnapped by my friends, where they got me very drunk. I had a great time, so much so that I spent the night and didn't get a chance to post this until now.

Last bit of fluff for a while, so enjoy!

PG-13, for occasional lewdness and the F-bomb at least once.

With confusion, and a bit of amusement, Ron Weasley watched his best mate appear out of their tent, walking stiff and hunched over.

He looked a bit like a penguin with a broken leg.

Ron called out a greeting, but Harry walked right passed him. He was happy that Harry didn't respond, because Ron got an unfortunately up close look at the reason for Harry's strange gait.

Harry walked straight on into the water, not stopping until he was submerged up to his chest.

Ron looked over at the tent, then back at Harry. It didn't take him long to figure it out.

He carefully extracated himself from Hermione, who was taking a catnap next to Ron on the sand.

She stirred slightly, then blinked up at him owlishly. "Hmm…what?"

"Sorry, love. Didn't mean to wake you."

"S'okay." Hermione stretched languidly, then asked, "What's wrong with Harry?"

"That's what I'm about to find out. Why don't you see to Ginny?"

Hermione searched his eyes, attempting to read his thoughts.

With a shrug and a peck to Ron's cheek, Hermione rose and shuffled off sleepily in the direction of the tent.

Deciding for once to practice a bit of patience, Ron remained where he was, hoping Harry would eventually come over to him.

After a good ten minutes in the water, he trudged back out, squeezing out the excess water from his clothing as he moved.

After scanning Ron's face for signs of imminent death, Harry plopped down next to him in the sand.

"Hey," Harry mumbled.

"Hey," answered Ron.

With a sigh, Harry scooped up some sand, letting it run through his fingers.

"I love her." Harry's quiet declaration startled Ron, who had been expecting at least another few minutes of awkward silence.

"Yeah." Ron couldn't help but smile a bit. "I sort of figured."

"She's the best thing that's ever happened to me, besides you and Hermione.

I don't want you to think that I'm just messing with her."

"You'd better not be."

"It's hard, I mean, we talked earlier about taking things slow, and I absolutely agree, but then she…and it's…."

"Hard?" Ron supplied, chuckling.

Harry gave him a half-hearted slap on the head, before laughing as well.

"Yeah, that too."

"You've got to be careful, Harry. This place, being alone and all…. it makes it really difficult to know when to stop. Hermione and I…well, there was a pretty close call, and I definitely don't want anything like that happening with you and my sister."

Harry quirked a brow. "What exactly did happen?"

Ron sighed, weighing his need to get an objective perspective against his embarrassment.

"It was the berries, apparently. There's something in em'that makes you really, really randy."

"And how is this any different from usual?"

"Shut up, Harry. I'm being serious. I ate a bloody basketful, and next thing I know, Hermione is pulling me towards this incredible hot spring thing and we're going at it."

"Yeah?" Harry's eager tone suggested that he wanted Ron to continue.

"And she's totally into it, and I mean, it never felt that way before, like I'd die if I didn't touch her everywhere. Everywhere she touched me was like this incredible tingle, and I swear that I've never been harder in my life.

I don't know how there couldn't been blood left anywhere else in my body. And before, I could, you know, think of Professor Sprout or something and get a bit of control, but nothing I tried was working.

It just got hotter, and frantic and all of a sudden, I'm between her legs and there's this deafening ringing in my ears, and I couldn't even think anymore. She tried to tell me to stop, but I couldn't. I couldn't."

"Wait." Harry sat up, the smirk gone from his face. "You didn't stop when she asked?"

Ron shrugged helplessly. He would never forget what he'd almost done as long as he lived. "I was totally gone. Voldemort could've appeared and started wanking off next to us and I still don't think I could've stopped."

"So, what…I mean, did you guys..?"

"No, I sort of, well, finished before anything else could happen."

Harry's hand came up to cover his mouth, no doubt to mask his grin. "Finished?"

At a loss for words, Ron gestured down slightly, and repeated, "Yeah, finished."

"I see."

"Apparently, I blacked out right after, and you know the rest."

Harry nodded, wisely keeping silent.

"The point, Harry, is that we're out here with two girls, one of whom is my sister, and one who might as well be yours. We care about them, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"So maybe the two of us should, not be so…."

"Incredibly horny?"

"Right."

Harry rubbed his face wearily. "In theory, I agree. Especially when I think about you and Hermione running around shagging like it's your own personal Pleasure Island.

But, Ron….have you looked at your sister? I mean looked at her now, not like the ten year old you lot continue to treat her as?"

"What's your point, Harry?"

"She's fucking gorgeous, Ron. Her body is…and her face, and her voice…and she's nice! Do you know how hard it is to find a girl that lovely who isn't barmy in the head?"

Ron pretended to ponder the question a moment. "To tell you the truth, Harry, I reckon I've always thought Ginny was a bit nutty, Hermione too, come to think of it."

"Ron."

"Okay, okay. I get your point. And yes, I understand how hard it is to find someone, especially considering your hero-ness and all, but hopefully, we're not gonna be on this bloody island for the rest of our lives. And when we do get out of here, I would like to be able to look my parents in the face and tell them that I actually looked after my sister."

"Would it be so bad, Ron? I could be perfectly happy here for the rest of my life."

"C'mon Harry, you know we have to find a way back, or else who's going to deal with …V-Voldemort?"

"Do you have any idea what it's like to finally be at peace after sixteen years of one hell after another? The Dursleys, then, thank god, I'm a wizard, but wait, here it's even worse, because the most powerful, evil thing in this world wants nothing more than to destroy you! Don't blame me for wanting to enjoy a break in the catastrophe that is my life."

Harry, now breathing heavily, slumped back down. He had gotten increasingly loud during his tirade, and Ron had glanced back nervously, not wanting the girls to get worried.

'I'm sorry, mate. No, I don't know how you feel, but I do know that everyone I care about besides who is here with me now is in danger. I know that if we don't find a way back home, they'll all be dead. Everyone we care about, Harry! This is bigger than us, and you know it."

Harry shook his head ruefully.

"You're really spending way too much time with Hermione, Ron. I know you're right, but…I just wanted…I have this fantasy."

Ron face screwed up in a grimace. "What kind of fantasy?"

"Not that sort, you wanker. It's like…you and Hermione, and Ginny and I, living here, building treehouses and being domestic and stuff. Making a life. I just didn't want to let go of the idea."

Ron thought for a moment. It actually sounded pretty great. He and Mione, living together, taking care of each other. No more homework, or school, or…magic?

"It does sound cool, Harry, at least for a while. But don't tell me you could really live for long without getting on a broomstick. Because I sure couldn't. Not to mention wizard's chess. Or treacle tarts. And blimey, chocolate frogs. I really miss chocolate frogs."

Harry laughed in spite of himself. "You do have a point."

"We can have the best of both, Harry. You'll take care of V-Voldemort, then we'll have a huge celebration and build treehouses at the Burrow where we can rough it all we like and kiss our girls."

"And play Quidditch," Harry added dryly.

"Course, mate. Of course."

Ron heard a rustle behind him. Looking back, he saw that the girls had emerged from the tent and were walking towards them. For perhaps the first time, he really looked at his sister, as Harry had suggested. She was actually…quite lovely, Ron realized.

She was small, and compact, whereas Hermione was a bit taller and leaner, but, wow, his sister was definitely a looker, which was quite odd, seeing as she shared a lot of his features.

If there was one thing Ron knew he wasn't it was handsome. But on her, the freckles looked softer and the hair was less bright, more…blended, he supposed?

During his perusual, Ron realized that their clothes were showing evidence of wear and tear. There shirts had a few holes here and there, courtesy of fruit picking he was sure, and they just looked….worn out.

Before they'd had a chance to sit down, Ron remarked, "You need to do something about your clothes, girls."

Before Hermione had even had the chance to get huffy, Harry countered, "No, they don't."

Ron noticed the direction of Harry's gaze. The idiot was practically drooling at Ginny.

"As much as I like Hermione's outfit, there is just no way I can enjoy it if I have to look at my sister like that."

"So don't. You look at Hermione, I'll look at Ginny, and we'll have no problems."

Ron gave Harry a withering stare.

"Wait a second. You actually like how I look?" Hermione was incredulous.

"My hair resembles a small hurricane, I haven't been able to bathe properly, and I desperately need a hygiene charm."

She crossed her arms, as if daring Ron to disagree.

"Wow, I never know you had a little Lavender in you, Hermione."

"You take that back, Ronald Weasley!"

"Will not. Who knew you could be just as girly as the rest of that lot."

"Ah yes," Ginny interjected. "The bickering. Number one in their vast arsenal of sexual tension avoidance tools."

"Hey!" Ron stopped arguing long enough to address Ginny.

 "I would really prefer you not to think, speak on, or speculate about my sex life."

"Or lack thereof, to be accurate. And it's way too late for that Ronny, or did you think Hermione and I discussed baking all day?"

Ron, sputtering, turned predictably red.

Hermione had the grace to blush and look down at her feet momentarily, avoiding Ron's accusing gaze.

"With my sister?" Ron looked sickened.

"Like you and Harry don't talk about it," she shot back.

"We don't!" They both said simultaneously. Harry and Ron exchanged guilty glances; it was, after all, what they'd just been discussing before the girls walked up.

"What's number two?" asked Harry curiously.

'That would be tickling." Ginny grinned viciously. "It was about the only way Ron here could get his hands on Hermione."

Ron blanched. "You knew that?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "It was obvious to everyone but the three of you."

"Why don't I remember Ron tickling Hermione?" Harry interjected.

"Because he oh so conveniently did it when you were otherwise engaged. Like Quidditch practice, for instance."

Ron groaned. "I can't believe you knew!"

Hermione frowned. "Well, _I_ didn't know. I thought you were being your normal annoying self and just distracting me so I wouldn't nag you about your homework."

"Sometimes," Ron admitted. "But other times, you'd be sitting there, nibbling on your bloody quill or something, and it'd be all I could do not to lean over and…I dunno, lick your neck, for instance."

Hermione's eyes widened, and Harry and Ginny were desperately trying to still their laughter.

"Because, you know," Ron continued hastily, "You'd have your head cocked to one side, and your neck would just be there, all creamy and sexy-like. It _wanted_ to be tasted."

Harry and Ginny were roaring with laughter, flailing around in the sand like lunatics.

Ron shot them a dark look, before continuing on, though he was noticeably more flustered.

"So I ticked you. It was fun, it you know, let me touch you in a way where I wouldn't get slapped, and it had the added benefit of annoying you."

Hermione giggled. "I can't believe I never thought you….well, yes, come to think of it, you did tickle me more than anyone else did."

"Wait, who else tickled you? Harry?"

"Uh, no." Harry's voice was quiet. "Never really had a yen to tickle Hermione."

Hermione was looking everywhere but at Ron.

He'd seen that look of avoidance before. Whenever they discussed….

"He tickled you, didn't he? Bloody tossing Viktor Krum!"

Ron could tell the answer from the look he received in return.

"Honestly Ron, Viktor tickling me is not that big of a deal. It doesn't mean anything."

"It means he was trying to touch you, Hermione! Any bloke that tickles a girl not related to him is trying to get somewhere."

"Well, Ron, George tickled me before. I suppose that means he's after me as well?"

"Okay, that one doesn't count. You're like a sister to him, same as Harry tickling you."

"That's not entirely accurate," said Ginny, grinning wickedly.

"What do mean?" Ron and Hermione asked, as one.

"I happen to know that George fancied Hermione once upon a time."

"He did not!" Ron practically roared, his head spinning. His sodding brother?

"He did so, in his fifth year, when you and Harry were being utterly wretched, practically ignoring Hermione for the whole of the school year."

"How'd you know that?" Harry asked her, quietly.

"Because both of the twins were being really nice to me, after...after my first year.

I guess they figured that they could have done something to stop if they hadn't been so busy alternating between teasing me and ignoring me."

Ron moved uncomfortably. It wasn't far from the way he had felt after the Chamber.

"Anyway," continued Ginny, "I heard Fred teasing George about liking a little third year, especially one that wouldn't know fun if it bit her in the arse. I sort of figured it out from there. Especially since he tickled you. Tickling always gives the game away."

"If it bit her in the arse?" Hermione echoed angrily. The other three continued on as if she hadn't spoken, not wanting to acknowledge that the statement fit Hermione quite well.

"Why didn't you tickle Harry then, Gin? I mean, what with your undying love and all."

"Because, you prick, I was trying not to be obvious, unlike some people who didn't even realize what they were on about!"

"I realized it," Ron protested.

At this, Hermione huffed. "Oh, yes, when I put on dress robes, you got a clue."

"I fancied you before that," Ron protested.

"Oh really? When?" Hermione questioned, her expression clearly disbelieving.

Ron's reply was never heard, for Ginny had given a shriek and scrambled up to her feet.

"There's a man up there!" Ginny shakily pointed to the edge of the woods.

Three heads whipped around.

"There's no one over there, Ginny. Problem just an animal or something."

"No, I'm telling you, I saw him. He was really tall and dark, and the only reason I noticed was because he had some kind of ring on and it caught on some sunlight."

Ginny ran off without a word, intent on proving herself correct.

With a groan, and an eyeroll, Ron got to his feet. "Let's go see what she's on about," he muttered, and Harry and Hermione stood as well.

As they reached Ginny, she was whirling around looking frantically around.

"I swear, I saw someone!"

"Well, he's not here now, love. Why don't we go for a swim, cool off a bit?"

"Yeah," agreed Ron. "I think Gin's brain got overheated."

With the skilled ease, Ginny stuck her tongue out at her brother.

"Er, guys?" Hermione's voice was shaky.

Harry, Ron and Ginny followed the direction of her trembling finger to the path of footprints visible in the muddy bank. Large, human, footprints. Leading straight into the dark of the forest.

Next chapter:

I'm not telling you. But trust me, you'll like it.


	13. Liam

Ron's tone became hard. "Stay here," he ordered to Ginny and Hermione,  
before nodding to Harry.

"I don't think so," responded Hermione sharply. "I doubt it's a good idea to separate at this point."

Ron looked like he wanted to argue, but instead shook his head resignedly and moved towards the footprints, followed immediately by the other three.

They followed the path of the markings in the mud for at least an hour, moving deeper into the

ever-darkening forest with each step.

Ron and Harry were in the lead, walking forward purposefully.

Hermione and Ginny trailed slightly behind, looking warily at their surroundings.

They entered a clearing where the one path split into two.

"Now what?" queried Ron, frustrated. Neither of the two new paths showed any footprints.

"Now," said a deep voice from behind them, "A decision is to be made."

Ron and Harry whirled around, both reaching for their ineffective wands.

A tall, lean man was peering down at them with something like amusement in his eyes.

"Unnecessary. Besides the fact that your sticks are useless here, I wish you no harm."

"I've heard that one before." Ginny stepped around Harry's restraining arm.

"Who the hell are you and why were you spying on us?"

"I was not spying, as you call it, little one. I was simply waiting to be noticed. You seemed to like me a great deal more in our previous meeting. Perhaps a neigh or a whinny might endear you more to me."

Ginny and Harry both widened their eyes in realization, while Ron and Hermione merely looked confused.

"You were…the horse?"

"Aye."

"Transfiguration, then?" Hermione stepped forward. It was obvious that her curiosity had overcome her initial apprehension.

The man's brow furrowed. "Tis' an unfamiliar term, Miss. I can change my form at will, if that is what you're meaning."

Ron was the only one still holding a wand out, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Liam. I should not be here, to be honest, but I'm afraid our time has grown short."

"What do you mean?" Liam smiled at Hermione in response to her question.

"You'd be the one who found the book."

"I…well, yes. Ancient Protection Spells of Power?"

At Liam's nod, Hermione continued, "What does the portkey have to do with anything?"

Liam's brow furrowed. "Port-what?"

"Portkey. It's a magically embued object that transports you from one location to another. It's how we…."

Hermione paused, then started pacing about, muttering to herself.

"But of course it couldn't have been a portkey. It would have arrived with us then, wouldn't it?

Harry and Ginny certainly wouldn't have been able to get here. Why didn't I think of that before?"

Hermione stopped suddenly in front of Liam. "We're inside the book, aren't we?"

Liam smiled, and shook his head in agreement.

"Aye, Miss. You are."

Liam turned his palms upward, and the air around them started to crackle.

What had just been a dark forest, grew increasingly lighter as the energy from his hands began to take color and shape.

The four teenagers watched in fascination as the energy formed itself into a ball that became still larger. It suddenly split in two energy spheres, hovering above them like tethered balloons swaying gently in the wind.

Liam nodded towards the globe on the left. "Your world."

The globe suddenly shimmered, then turned black for a moment before revealing the astonishing sight of Mrs. Weasley, puttering about the kitchen in Grimmauld place, with Tonks and Remus Lupin sitting behind her at the table.

The group's eyes widened, and Ginny let out a choked, "Mum!"

"I tell you," Mrs. Weasley was saying to Lupin and Tonks, "I don't know how George can say those kinds of things. As if any of them would behave improperly. Grandchildren, honestly! They're all much too young for any of that!"

Tonks was trying very hard to keep a straight face.

"Well, Molly, we know at least that they're safe and out of Voldemort's clutches for the time being. Would a Granger-Weasley or a Weasley-Potter be such a large price to pay?"

While Ron and Harry began to sputter, the globe showed Mrs. Weasley turning her spatula in Tonks' direction, and pointing it threateningly.

"You're just as bad as the twins, _Nymphadora_. I don't want to hear it. They're too young and that's that!"

The use of her full name was enough to sober Tonks momentarily, and Remus took the opportunity to speak.

"They'll be fine, Molly. You're absolutely right. Hermione will keep them on task, Ron and Ginny will keep their humor up, and Harry will lead them to success.

I daresay it will simply be one more adventure for them, and they'll return with soon enough with grand tales for us all."

Molly nodded, looking as if she was trying to convince herself. The sphere froze then, the image of Mrs. Weasley in her worn apron and spatula, with a determined expression on her face.

Liam watched them as they stared, love and longing obvious on each child's face.

He hesitated for a moment, and for the first time worried over the choice they would make. They were children, to be sure. Younger than he had expected. If they were indeed who he believed them to be, his world could be saved. But then, if they were who he believed them to be, they could also be killed.

Liam cleared his throat to get their attention. "This is what once was my world."

The second globe shimmered now, and the vision that appeared inside was of a spectacular jewelled throne. The man sitting on it with a equally spectactular crown looked familiar to Ginny for some reason, as did the lovely woman standing next to him.

The vision expanded, and they could see the backs of two heads.

Two people were kneeling at the King's feet, a man and a woman.

"On this day, two Kingdom's become one. Two families become one. Two worlds unite, for the good of all our people.

The King stood, and removed his crown, placing it upon the kneeling man's head.

"To King Derren, may he rule well and may his land and line grow and prosper for all time."

They heard many many voices echo suddenly, "To King Derren!"

The regal woman, who was also wearing a crown, stepped forward.

"On this day, my heart rejoices in the knowledge that my daughter has not only wed a man of strength and character, but that she is ready and well able to stand at his side to rule our lands."

The woman moved her crown from her own head and placed it gently on the young woman.

"To Queen Aina, may she rule well and may her land and line grow and prosper for all time.

"To Queen Aina!" The unseen crowd repeated once more.

The newly coronated couple rose and turned around.

Ginny was surprised by the faces she saw. For some strange reason, she had expected them to resemble Ron and Hermione.

The globe suddenly shimmered and changed.

It was darker now, and the voice heard was far from the strong, vibrant words of the previous speakers. This voice was harsh and….sinister.

"My crown, to that fool Derren? No Paronan is worthy to rule Valen. My brother disgraces the legacy of our family line. But, no matter."

The man speaking could now be seen in the globe. Thin, and pale, with prominent cheekbones, and long, thick black hair that framed his face.

He opened his mouth to speak again, but before they could hear his words, the globe shattered viciously, sending bolts of energy careening through the forest.

Liam froze, then looked around slowly before lowering his hands.

"Well now, he didn't like that, did he?" Liam murmured this, almost to himself, a slight smile gracing his previously impassive face.

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"Mornen. He is the brother of Erneir, my King. He was to take the crown, as Erneir's line had produced no sons. Instead, Prince Derren from the neighboring land, Parona, married his eldest, Aina, and united the two kingdoms, succeeding despite Mornen's numerous attempts at sabotage.

After the marriage, Mornen disappeared, and did not return until one hundred years later, at the height of our kingdom's prosperity. He was…changed, somehow, and brought with him a foreign army, which destroyed everything in its path."

Liam reached into his cloak, pulling out a necklace of some kind with a large sapphire in the center.

"This is the amulet of the King's guard. It is one of many kinds my countrymen wore.

These amulets provided us with the magic necessary for our various positions in society, and were but small, insignificant portions of the magic in our realm.

"Mornen sought the King's amulet, which held the magic of the land, to be distributed slowly and equitably to all citizens. He wished to increase his power still more, and seek out other worlds to conquer.

King Derren was begged by his citizens to use to amulet to save them, but he refused, for he understood that it's power was not his nor anyone else's to command.The King, you see, knew that Mornen could not take the amulet by force.

As thousands and thousands died from Mornen's sadistic retribution, the royal family remained protected from the magical onslaught in their home, but they were powerless to stop Mornen's reign of terror.

Mornen decided, that, if he was not to have the power, he would ensure no one else would. He began to sink the land into the sea. Desperate, the King conferred with his family and advisors and decided on one final, drastic action. Mornen would not stop with the destruction of Valen and Parona. The whole world was in danger.

Eventually the decision was made, and the King, with the aid of the amulet, froze the kingdom under his command, and channelled the essence of it and his family into the book found by you, young lady. It reveals itself only to those in need."

Ron and Harry both wore glazed expressions on their faces, while Hermione was hanging on Liam's every syllable.Ginny, curiously enough, had her eyes clothes, brow furrowed as if she was trying to remember something.

Liam continued, "Mornen, arrogant and confident of his invincibility, felt the shift in magic and assumed the King had surrendered. He burst into the royal home, to find all inside frozen cold. All was still except the book, which was glowing from the magic now held within.

His greed caused him to grasp it without consideration, and he was instantly bound as well.

The book then sealed itself, waiting for those who possessed the motives and abilities to defeat Mornen with finality."

"And that's supposed to be us?" Hermione asked incredulously.

Liam gave her a long, considering stare before replying, "Apparently so."

Harry cut in. "And just how are we supposed to accomplish all this?"

"Scratch that," interjected Ginny. "Why should we?"

Liam smiled down at her. "Ah, from you, I expected such a question."

Liam's eyes lost a bit of their twinkle. "The time of my Kingdom is over. Even if Mornen is defeated, it has been too long. The earth is different now, and we could not, I think, exist peacefully as we once did. The amulet, now encased in this timeless book, should have, like those of other civilizations, lost its power bit by bit as the magic it contained was released to the world. The power contained in this single object would be too much temptation for any one individual. If Mornen is destroyed, it shall be as well."

"So?" prompted Ginny.

"So, alternative arrangements would be made, with a portion of its magic granted to whomever defeats Mornen and releases the lands protected by the amulet. A boon, if you will."

"Right, then." Ron scratched his head.

"And how exactly are we supposed to defeat this Mornen bloke? Our wands don't even work!"

Ron gave his another shake to emphasize the words.

Hermione huffed. "Honestly Ron, don't you pay attention at all? We don't need them here."

Hermione turned back to Liam. "That's it, isn't it? The magic, it's all around. Your amulets were your …wands, so to speak. The King's amulet is all the magic we need."

Liam smiled, a bit taken aback at Hermione's cleverness. "Perhaps my initial impressions were mistaken."

"What the bloody hell is she on about, Harry?" Ron whispered. Harry shrugged his shoulders in response.

Liam crossed over to stand before the boys. Quick as lightening, their wands flew from their hands to Liam's waiting palm.

Ron and Harry gaped again, this time at each other. Liam hadn't spoken a word to summon them.

Liam examined the wands curiously, pointing them this way and that.

With a sigh, he handed them back.

"Magic is all," he said simply.

"It is everywhere, inside everything. You feel it's power inside you, yet you hesitate to use it.

What need have you of channelling tools when the magic waits in your fingertips, yeaning to be released?"

Liam grasped Harry's shoulder tightly.

"You must feel it build inside of you. Feel the heat and the cold, coiled together. Push it up and out of your center, while focusing on the deed you wish to accomplish. Think of the breaths you take. Simple, natural, automatic, yes, but the processes that work together to bring you life are incredibly complex. When you are able to release your magic by rote, you will be ready."

"Ready for what, exactly?" Harry was still unsure of what they were supposed to be _doing_.

Liam ignored this question.

"Practice what I have said, until my return. You will be protected."

With that, Liam bowed low, then shimmered way. The globe remained, Mrs. Weasley's face still upon it, but at Liam's departure, it began to fade until it too, disappeared.

"Protected from what?" Ron asked, still confused.

Harry rubbed his eyes wearily. "I have a feeling the answer to both our questions is the same, Ron."


End file.
